New Delhi: Myles Lewis-Skelly, is a name that now no one will ever forget after his Sunday night exploit against Manchester City. When Arsenal had met City in the reverse fixture at Etihad Stadium back in September, Erling Haaand was left unimpressed by the teenager. Before he had even played for the Gunners, Lewis-Skelly had earned a yellow card while warming up as a substitute during the 2-2 draw.
However, Emirates Stadium witnessed a much more dominating performance, with the Gunners winning 5-1 which was engineered by Lewis-Skelly. The win keeps them in contention for a title finish. Lewis-Skelly delivered the goal that broke City’s nerves and celebrated the score which seemed to be directed at the Norwegian international. The celebration mimicked the one often used by Haaland.
One of our own ❤️ pic.twitter.com/UCCiupCG1D
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 2, 2025
It was a moment that Lewis-Skelly would never forget with the 18-year-old, having lately shown promise. He was on the verge of missing out on playing in this all-important game after he received a red card against Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, an appeal from Arsenal ensured that the decision was revoked.
Every critic who saw him lauded his confidence and how he wasn’t afraid to stand up to Haaland. Arsenal fans were unforgiving to the City striker who had in their last encounter quipped to Mikel Arteta with “Stay humble” during the controversial post-match scenes in September.
An unforgiving Emirates Stadium
Martin Odegaard gave the Gunners an early goal in the second minute from kickoff which saw Gabriel celebrate in Haaland’s face, with fans displaying him of his squabble from September. At Etihad, Arsenal had almost taken a win even with Leandro Trossard being served with a red card in the first half. However, they ultimately had to settle for a draw in the game.
While Pep Guardiola was riding high horses after the draw, the most awaited return fixture ultimately became a one-sided game. Haaland though managed to deliver an equalizer but just 38 seconds later that effort was taken away by Thomas Partey. City from here displayed their habit of collapsing under pressure. In January against Paris Saint-Germain, in the Champions League, City were leading 2-0 but conceded four times in the second half to lose 4-2 ultimately.
In the dying minutes of this game, it was teenager Ethan Nwaneri who put the final nail in City’s coffin. While they lost on promising young talent to Manchester with Ayden Heaven making his move this winter transfer period, they have nevertheless got themselves two more promising talents.
Lewis-Skelly has come a long way from just displaying confidence and has shown that he can back his confidence and verbal exchange with his performance. In the 62nd minute, Lewis-Skelly delivered the ultimate strike to make it 3-0 although City shot-stopper Stefan Ortega should have done better. By the time the English teenager came off the field in the 88th minute, Emirates gave him a well-deserved standing ovation.
The Arsenal academy graduate helps Arsenal fill a problematic position at left-back. In fact, new England coach Thomas Tuchel also has issues in that region and will keep an eye on Lewis-Skelly.
Mikel Arteta praises Myles Leis-Skelly
In fact, the performance got Arteta applauding and mentioning that a win like this against Manchester City needs a brilliant individual performance. The Spanish manager mentioned the “maturity and competitiveness” that the 18-year-old brought with him on the field. Arteta felt Lewis-Skelly had the intelligence and skills to fit into the squad in the way they wanted their squad to shape up.
The win was an absolute must for the Gunners even at this point in the season, as they couldn’t have taken a nine-point gap with Liverpool. Arsenal are currently six points away from the Red’s lead in the table and that is something they can always close up. They are now 14 games unbeaten in the competition and are breathing down Liverpool’s neck.
Arsenal fans have accepted Lewis-Skelly as their own star in making as they kept their challenge on the title in possibility. The moment of the clash came when Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Humble’ played in the stadium, rubbing salt on Haaland and Man City’s wounds. For now, it looks like Arsenal will definitely have a campaign to remember having also reached the knockout stage of the Champions League and keeping a firm hold on the second place in the second place in the Premier League points table.
Myles Lewis-Skelly delivered a stellar performance against Manchester City as the teenager showed signs of solving the tricky left-back position for Arsenal. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
