Arsenal and Man City tie 0-0 to help Liverpool lead title race

On Sunday, at the Etihad Stadium, Arsenal were unable to beat the defending champions Manchester City 0-0, allowing Liverpool to grab the lead on a crucial day in the Premier League's three-way race for the title.  

The work of Mikel Arteta with nine games left, Arsenal, who are vying for their first league crown in 20 years, sits second in the standings with 65 points, while City is third with 64. After their 2-1 comeback victory over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier on Sunday, Liverpool took the lead with 67 points. 

"No way can you be fully happy (with just a point)," Arteta told Sky Sports. "Listen, I think we have made a big step today. Coming to these big places not a lot of teams have done what we have done today, especially when there is a lot at stake and the pressure elevates. To respond to it is another step." 

The match failed to live up to its billing as a battle of titans. City dominated possession with 72.2% and came at Arsenal in waves. 

But the visitors put on a model defensive performance that tormented Pep Guardiola's team, who included league-leading scorer Erling Haaland, to break their eight-game losing streak at the Etihad and extend their unbeaten league record to nine games. 

Guardiola told the BBC, "Tough game... take the point and onto the next." "They produce excellent pressings. They are experts at it. That's just the way things are. Finally, we gave it a shot. They have really talented players that play compact defense. Minimal block. We made an effort." 

Man City, who are usually rather successful, were only allowed one chance on goal, marking the first time in 58 games across all competitions that they had failed to score at home. 

"Obviously, we desire all three points, and we tried our best to get the win ... but we'll take the point and move on," Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard said. 

"We had to defend a lot, a bit deeper than we would have liked. It was a tight game and a tough one. So much can happen before the end of the season, we have to take it game-by-game." 

Arsenal's greatest opportunities came from Gabriel Jesus, who missed two efforts in the first half and then just missed a chance to meet an attractive cross from Bukayo Saka.  

The greatest chance for City came from an early corner kick by Kevin De Bruyne, which fell to goalkeeper David Raya after bouncing off Nathan Ake's shoulder. 

During the last few nerve-wracking minutes, City positioned themselves in Arsenal's half, but the visitors held firm.  

Late in the game, Josko Gvardiol's header appeared to be an easy finish for the usually dependable Haaland, but he failed to make touch with the ball, leaving the City supporters to moan and put their heads in their hands in frustration.  

While Arsenal lacked the firepower of recent weeks they had scored an astounding 33 goals in eight successive league victories shutting down City was mission accomplished for the Gunners, who were clobbered 4-1 at the Etihad last season before City ran away with the title.