Man City player ratings vs Arsenal: Erling Haaland has his revenge! Star striker turns Premier League title race on its head while Rayan Cherki dazzles as Gigi Donnarumma disaster goes unpunished

Published Apr. 19, 2026 11:35 a.m. ET

GOAL

Erling Haaland scored for the first time in the Premier League since February on Sunday, and his intervention was more than worth the wait as it gave Manchester City a 2-1 win over Arsenal which put them in the driving seat to win the title. A magical dribble from Rayan Cherki gave City the lead in the make-or-break showdown in Manchester, only for a terrible touch by Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand Kai Havertz an equaliser.

But Haaland pounced in the second half to give City a win that means they will go top of the table on goal difference if they win against Burnley on Wednesday.

City made a lightning-quick start and could have had two goals within the first five minutes. Haaland closed David Raya down following a short goal-kick and was almost rewarded, while seconds later, Haaland had a shot which was blocked and led to Cherki firing at goal. The ball bounced off the shoulder of Gabriel Magalhaes, against the post and rolled across the line but somehow stayed out.

Cherki broke the deadlock by conjuring one of the goals of the season all by himself, slaloming his way through three defenders before slotting into the far bottom corner. But less than 60 seconds later, his moment of genius was undone by a moment of madness by Donnarumma, who took a heavy touch in his area and his desperate kick fired hit against the body of Havertz and rebounded into the net.

Donnarumma went some way towards making amends for his gaffe by denying Havertz at point-blank-range in a heart-in-mouth moment in the second half which was quickly followed by Eberechi Eze firing against the inside of the post. Haaland had also hit the post early in the second period, but when given a second bite of the cherry, he made no mistake.

GOAL rates City's players from the Etihad Stadium...

Goalkeeper & Defence

Gianluigi Donnarumma (5/10):

His haphazard touch cost City the equaliser, but he made two key interventions to make up for it, making himself big to thwart Havertz and then starting the move that led to Haaland's goal with a quick pass out to O'Reilly.

Matheus Nunes (6/10):

Struck the right balance between fuelling attacks and shutting down the threat down his side. Released Cherki for the first goal while his throw-in to Donnarumma led to the goalkeeper's howler, but neither outcome was down to him.

Abdukodir Khusanov (7/10):

Got his skates on to thwart Havertz on several occasions - playing a risky game and avoiding a potential red card - and made a timely block from the German's shot after Gabriel had hit the post.

Marc Guehi (6/10):

Kept a lid on Arsenal's counters by aggressively stepping in and cutting out through balls. Booked for pulling back Rice and directed a header straight at Raya.

Nico O'Reilly (7/10):

Made some dazzling moves with the ball at his feet and made the most of his physical strength to defend against Arsenal's set-piece threat.

Midfield

Rodri (6/10):

Helped City control possession but looked a little rusty, losing the ball in his half on one occasion. Came off injured late on.

Bernardo Silva (7/10):

Grafted from the first minute to the last in his final game against a top opponent for City. A fitting way to go out.

Rayan Cherki (9/10):

It had to be him

Attack

Antoine Semenyo (5/10):

The weak link of City's attack. Hincapie had the measure of him throughout, with his touch and final ball often leaving a lot to be desired.

Erling Haaland (7/10):

In the thick of the action from the moment he closed down Raya, and after hitting the post, his tenacity was rewarded when he found a priceless winner.

Jeremy Doku (8/10):

Consistently caused Mosquera trouble and pressed his heart out. Played a big role in the winner.