Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice for
Arsenal at a luminously empty Wembley Stadium as Arsenal withstood massed
Manchester City pressure to seal a place in the FA Cup final. This was a frustrating night in north
London for
Pep Guardiola. Not only did City lose an FA Cup tie for the first time since February 2018, they lost in a way Guardiola teams sometimes do, choking on their own increasingly sluggish possession and passing themselves to death against opponents ready to sit deep.
For Arsenal this might just feel like confirmation of something. For the second time in four days Mikel Arteta’s team produced a performance of real defensive discipline against one of the Premier League’s reigning powers, not just absorbing pressure but
BREAKING with great incision. Granit Xhaka was a calm, efficient presence in midfield. Nicolas Pépé used his speed advisedly, stretching City on the right flank, where Ainsley Maitland-Niles fought tigerishly and used the ball well. There are signs here of something starting to stir.