Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez could be Manchester City teammates working in glorious isolation.

Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal (Ac 64′)

One of the biggest joys of the FA Cup is the increased number of tickets for away clubs. In the south stand of Etihad, the top two tiers were dotted with red and white dots in a sea of ​​winter coats. The last time they came to this stadium, Arsenal scored three goals and lost by one before the break. No doubt they headed north to see this new era, but they did it mostly to sing “We’re the best in the league” to the champions. It was enough to make her happy.

Mikel Arteta has reached a win-win situation. His six substitutions changed pre-game expectations towards the hosts and took the pressure off him. Of these changes, at least four – Matt Turner, Rob Holding, Fabio Vieira and Kieran Tierney – represented a downgrade, but they all made sense. Eight Arsenal players have started at least 18 out of 19 league matches this season; this can’t go on. Minutes in the legs for minor players should be looked forward to.

In situations like this, win a modified lineup against City’s strong outfielders and you’ll have a slight psychological advantage over Premier League meetings. Lose and you’ll argue that it doesn’t mean anything in the long run and that being knocked out of the FA Cup this season of all seasons is no reason to cry. The fact that domestic cup competitions are not in the spotlight in January is a reason for Arsenal supporters to rejoice.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Aside from a series of direct passes to Erling Haaland that created panic but never created a clear chance, City were guilty of the usual first-half ploy: slow passes, mostly in their own half and mostly without a clear sense of danger. As always, this is a viable strategy to protect against counterattacks. Except that Pep Guardiola’s team is also prone to it.

I still can’t resist – now what? The game changed for City when they changed attack. It’s like their first halves are nothing but complex setups that lull opponents to the point of the stage marked with a cross. After that, they quickly switch, draw a level, and laugh as dirt falls on their opponent.

This time Julian Alvarez was decisive. His fast run from deep ended with a shot that ricocheted off Turner’s post and rebounded to Jack Grealish. Five seconds of dancing, defenders rushing and a good pass later, Nathan Ake flexed his right foot for a worm-initiating kick. He seemed as surprised and grateful as everyone else.

It’s a small selection – Nottingham Forest at home, Tottenham at home, the last 35 minutes here – but there is mounting evidence that sharing Haaland and Alvarez could be a source of great joy for Guardiola. You might think strike partnerships small and large like Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips could work, a set of nods, pass-and-gos and baits.

You would be wrong. Instead, Haaland and Alvarez play as two separate entities, sailing past like ships in the night. It’s exciting to watch. They spent 69 minutes together on the pitch against Nottingham Forest, scoring five goals. They never exchanged passports. City play with two strikers, not a duo.

That was enough to solve this draw. Arteta used the cannons to score a replay that no one really wanted and from there, Arsenal dominated territory and possession. Stefan Ortega got two rounds of applause for eating danger and was probably the best player in the game. The city eventually survived relatively comfortably.

Never mind. The end continued to proclaim her adoration for every Arsenal player and manager. The hosts rejoiced at the approaching victory. They felt that everyone got what they came for and left happy and satisfied. you will meet again; then it’s more important.