Patrick Vieira was ‘dissatisfied’ to see Eberechi Eze taken off in Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Manchester City, claiming the forward was just starting to ‘get into the sport’ when he was substituted.
Erling Haaland scored his twenty third league goal of the season to steer City to inside three points of Arsenal, with Pep Guardiola’s men boasting a game in hand over the leaders.
The Gunners produced a spirited display after their recent dip in form, with Kai Havertz making all of it square just moments after Rayan Cherki’s solo piece of brilliance to open the scoring within the sixteenth minute.
The visitors had possibilities to attract level in an entertaining second half, with Eze striking against the woodwork and Havertz squandering an enormous opportunity after being put through by Martin Odegaard.
But Haaland’s Sixty fifth-minute effort ultimately proved the difference and City can leapfrog Mikel Arteta’s men within the Premier League table with victory over lowly Burnley on Wednesday night.
Ahead of kick-off, Vieira questioned the ‘big gamble’ to recall Odegaard to the starting XI given the midfielder’s apparent lack of match fitness, which meant he sat out Arsenal’s clash with Sporting in midweek.
And after the ultimate whistle, the ex-Arsenal captain suggested Arteta had made one other possible mistake removing Eze from the sphere of play when he was starting to make inroads in the ultimate third.
Asked if Arteta was incorrect to maneuver Eze out to the left, Vieira said on Sky Sports: ‘No because he didn’t stay on the left-hand side, he got here inside and created the overload and that was, I feel, the tactical plan.
‘It was really interesting because he touched the ball so much.
‘I used to be a bit dissatisfied, to be honest, that he got here off because I feel he was entering into the sport and he could create possibilities for scoring goals because he’s got that quality.
‘Taking him off, I feel I used to be dissatisfied to see him off.’
The result means Arsenal have won just considered one of their last six matches in all competitions and Arteta’s side must quickly regroup ahead of their clash with Newcastle in every week’s time.
Roy Keane was encouraged by the Gunners’ display against City – but argued the visitors ultimately did not deliver when it got here to ‘the toughest a part of football’.
‘The criticism with Arsenal over the previous couple of months is possibly that lack of creativity,’ the ex-Manchester United captain explained.
‘There was loads of it today but the toughest a part of football is putting the ball at the back of the web.’
Keane’s Sky Sports colleague, Micah Richards, felt the result may very well be the start of the tip for Arsenal’s title charge, with City wrestling the ‘momentum’ of their favour at an important stage of the campaign.
‘I’ve all the time said whoever wins this game may have the momentum,’ ex-City and England defender Richards declared shortly after the ultimate whistle.
‘Obviously City got to go to Burnley and win that but Arsenal have still got two games before Manchester City play again, they’ve got Newcastle and Fulham.
‘I just thought this was the sport. If they might recover from the road on this game and stay inside three points of Arsenal, I just think with the experience, the large players, the large moments…
‘I believed Arsenal were superb in all honesty today, but Manchester City just recover from the road and Rayan Cherki, what a player he’s.
‘Bernardo Silva, the energy that he puts in, the way in which he gets on the ball, being an older guy. Leaving at the tip of the season. But they only have that momentum going into the tip of the season.’
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