Arsenal vs. Manchester City score: Alex Runarsson error sets Guardiola's side on path to EFL Cup semis

Arsenal fell to a 4-1 defeat to Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium

Manchester City cruised to the semifinals of the EFL Cup with a 4-1 win over Arsenal following a costly error by goalkeeper Alex Runarsson.

Gabriel Jesus had headed City into a fourth minute lead but Arsenal, inspired by the returning Gabriel Martinelli, fought back to parity at the interval when the Brazilian midfielder's cross was headed home by Alexandre Lacazette.

Arsenal lost Martinelli to a first-half injury he could not shake off moments into the second half and without him lacked punch in attack. However, it was at the other end that their troubles were greater as Runarsson parried a Riyad Mahrez free-kick into his own net to restore City's advantage before Phil Foden and Aymeric Laporte killed off the contest, dooming Mikel Arteta to a sixth defeat in 11 games.

Recap the key talking points from the game below.

Arteta makes a rod for his own back

As Arsenal's defensive woes have grown in recent weeks the clamor from supporters has been ceaseless. Play the $33 million teenage defending sensation you signed back in the summer of 2019, when you were so sure of his promise that you agreed to let him spend a year on loan at Saint-Etienne to seal the deal with the French club.

Arteta, his staff and some Arsenal players felt William Saliba wasn't quite there when preseason begun and after failing to secure another loan before October's deadline the Gunners are looking to find him a temporary home in January. After all, he has not played a minute of competitive football this term.

That he is not trusted ahead of first-choice players such as David Luiz and Gabriel is one thing, when Saliba misses out so that Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac, two men Arsenal wanted to sell in the summer, is quite another. Both have had plenty of opportunities to prove their worth in red and white but have rarely, if ever, justified the considerable sums invested in them.

This game served as an unwelcome reminder of why Arsenal have been trying to sell Mustafi within 18 months of his arrival from Valencia. For all the qualities he has in the air and in possession, he is liable to the most basic errors. He already had a pretty lengthy repertoire of them against City alone, including in the EFL Cup final in 2018.

His failure to even compete for Oleksandr Zinchenko's early cross was typical of these errors. All it would take was for the World Cup winner to take ownership of the situation, to attack the ball, and make the header and the attack might have been repelled. Instead he ducked out of the way.

Certainly Runarsson and Gabriel might have done more to attack the ball as well before Jesus headed home but this was all too typical of Mustafi's string of Arsenal errors. Had this been a mistake of technique that might have been understandable, instead this was a familiar refusal to take ownership of a situation.

That is rather the point, that this is such a familiar sight. If Saliba had made the exact same error there might at least be hope that he would learn from it. Arteta and Arsenal already know that Mustafi won't.

City's EFL love affair continues

You have to go back to early 2017 for the last time Manchester City so much as lost a game in this competition, away to their great rivals from across the city. It remains the only occasion Pep Guardiola has lost an EFL Cup tie and you would find few who bet against that changing until after the April final.

It is easy to see why City are so successful. Where many other managers, including Arteta, opt to flood their teams with fringe players and young prospects, Guardiola named a side that was not all that dissimilar to a fully stocked team. Even those regular starters who were not in the XI were ready on the bench if needed, barring Kevin De Bruyne.

This City team throttled Arsenal for all but a Martinelli-inspired moment midway through the first half because they inevitably would. But a team with such attacking talent might reflect on how few clear cut chances they created against an eminently ordinary defence bereft of confidence. Jesus was denied by a good Runarsson save, a rare treat for Arsenal that, but aside from that moment in the first half there was little to really test the Icelandic international that he did not inflict on himself.

Indeed it would make for a fascinating alternate version of this rout if Runarsson had not pushed the ball into his own net from Mahrez's free-kick. Before then City had created little to assuage Guardiola's concerns over their difficulties building attacks this season and beating up on an emotionally and physically bruised Arsenal B team won't change that.

Short-term fixes will require replacing

There was convincing logic for Arsenal selling Emiliano Martinez to Aston Villa for $27 million. They needed money to fund their transfer business and he was one of the few players with a market after his excellent performances at the tail end of last season. The funds the Argentine brought in were needed elsewhere so the next Bernd Leno understudy would have to be found on the cheap.

Alex Runarsson was not Arsenal's first choice – that was Brentford's David Raya – but it is hard to believe there was not a single goalkeeper in Europe who could do more than the second choice at a side that had finished 16th in Ligue 1 last season. He had hardly convinced before tonight but this was a disastrous display that would immediately make Arteta fear what might happen if Leno were to suffer another lengthy injury.

They would have to hope they have someone other than Runarsson to call on because on Tuesday night's evidence he is not up to the standard to repel the best forwards in the Premier League. Should Arsenal find that man, and they are likely to look for a new goalkeeper when the season ends, they could still have this unsuccessful signing on their books, taking up a squad place and wages. Such muddled squad building is how they got into the problems they find themselves in in the first place.

Notable performances

Gabriel Martinelli: A whirlwind of energy and quality to go with it. His pressing set the example for teammates who did, for a time, respond in similar fashion. The cross that allowed Lacazette to equalise was a moment of real quality. Arteta will be praying his early exit does not prompt another lengthy spell on the sidelines. RATING: 9

Phil Foden: He took his time to get going but when he did he was a devastatingly delightful attacker, finishing with wonderful impudence for the decisive third City goal. RATING: 7

You can recap all the action as it happened with our live coverage below.

[Dec 22, 2020 at 4:42 pm ET · James Benge]

Balogun makes a good run into the space between the right-back and central defender. There's so much space to attack and a clear avenue on goal. Kolasinac just doesn't pass him the ball. It's a blindingly obvious pass to make and one that a fair few amateurs could probably judge. That rather typifies some of the players in this team.

[Dec 22, 2020 at 4:34 pm ET · James Benge]

Mustafi: check. Runarsson: check. Kolasinac: check. All three of the potential liabilities in this side have handed goals to City with Kolasinac going completely asleep at the back post as Laporte ghosts in to destroy even the faintest hope of a comeback.

[Dec 22, 2020 at 4:27 pm ET · James Benge]

Just over a year ago a beleaguered rookie Arsenal boss brought on Emile Smith Rowe against Manchester City in a game that was already lost. Now Arteta does it but it makes you wonder why a youngster, who brings the creativity and skills on the turn that Arsenal are crying out for, doesn't get to play until the game is gone.

[Dec 22, 2020 at 4:19 pm ET · James Benge]

City at the double and Wembley beckons for them once more. A clumsy Ceballos pass allows City to break, a good pass in behind by Fernandinho unleashes Foden, who lobs the ball gorgeously over Runarsson. The good news for the goalkeeper is that at least means his error won't be the deciding factor in this game after he punched the ball into his own net when Mahrez hit a free-kick straight at him.

[Dec 22, 2020 at 4:07 pm ET · James Benge]

And the moment I hit post, there goes Martinelli. He falls to the turf with no-one around him. Nicolas Pepe is being readied and though the youngster is soon up on his feet Pepe takes his place.

[Dec 22, 2020 at 4:06 pm ET · James Benge]

It looks like Arsenal have moved to something more like a four with Maitland-Niles on the left of a midfield three. As soon as Cancelo gets the ball Martinelli is snapping at his heels, forcing him to concede possession. The young Brazilian is definitely not feeling the after-effects of that injury so far.

[Dec 22, 2020 at 3:52 pm ET · James Benge]

An intriguing contest this and one where Arsenal have weathered a storm of their own making and responded in impressive fashion through Lacazette, assisted by the excellent Martinelli. In truth City were handed so many good positions early in this game that they really should have made more of them even if Runarsson came up big at the most important moment. Should this game still be in the balance they could always turn to Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling I suppose.

[Dec 22, 2020 at 3:48 pm ET · James Benge]

Heart in mouth moments for Arsenal as Martinelli goes down. He had been chasing a 50:50 ball that Zack Steffen beat him to (it was probably 30:70 in his favour actually) and took a painful clip to the left foot as he chased the ball. He covers his cries with his shirt as the Arsenal medical staff come across to examine him. After a lengthy wait he does, however, look ready to return, albeit a little gingerly.