“Arsenal needs a reset after disappointing performance.”

On Wednesday night, around 8:10 PM, the situation looked bleak for Arsenal. While the Gunners players were likely watching the match between Manchester City and Burnley from home, they were hoping for an unlikely slip-up from Scott Parker’s men. However, reality hit hard: in just five minutes, Erling Haaland opened the scoring, taking advantage of Burnley’s high and disastrous defensive line that provided space and clear opportunities.

Even before that goal, Rayan Cherki had already threatened with a shot that was brilliantly deflected onto the crossbar. Nico O’Reilly and Bernardo Silva also tried their luck, while Haaland was close to quickly doubling the lead. In a championship that promises to be decided by details such as goal difference, City could, at any moment, have been leading by three or four goals, a worrying scenario for the Premier League leaders.

Despite this overwhelming start from the Citizens, Burnley managed to hold on until the final whistle, suffering a narrow defeat of 1-0, which surprisingly turned out to be a reasonable result for Arsenal. The London team was, however, overtaken at the top of the table for the first time since early October.

City fired 28 shots on goal, accumulating an xG (expected goals) of 3.4, in a display that was a true waste in offensive terms. This was not the dominant and clarifying victory that many expected, leaving Arsenal with a window of opportunity to reassess and readjust their strategy.

Mikel Arteta, the Gunners’ coach, now faces a colossal challenge: to restart the team and prepare an effective response in a league that, at this point, already feels like a “new league,” with the title race becoming increasingly heated and unpredictable. City’s wastefulness serves as a warning for Arsenal — they cannot falter, lest they lose ground in a league that promises to be more competitive than ever.

This article first appeared on Apito Final.