As I and many others predicted in the build up to this match, there would be no basketball-style game, leading to goals galore. Instead, this was every bit the chess match, played between two teams who are stylistically even matched and two managers who follow similar footballing philosophies.

There was the inevitable chiding online from other rivals about it being a ‘boring match for the neutral’, but frankly, I don’t think any Arsenal fan gives a damn this morning. Our record in Manchester and at the Etihad is one that is eye-wateringly painful. We go there every year, we lose every year, that is what we have been up against for almost a decade. So with that as the psychological backdrop for Arteta, his players and us as fans, to go up to City and stop them from scoring for the first time in something like 58 matches, is impressive. It shows a maturity, a strength and a discipline defensively that could be massive for us, in the context of this season.

I said beforehand that I would but your hand off for a draw and even a bore draw too, so in the cold light of this bank holiday morning, I am certainly a happy Gooner today. Yes we have relinquished top spot, yes Liverpool are favourites for the title, but when you go to the home of the treble winners and completely stifle them and restrict their chance creation as we did, it offers hope for those remaining games we have this season. This Arsenal side is made of sterner stuff than previous iterations; we may have been a little off at times yesterday and we may have sat deeper than we’d have hoped to, but the fact those Arsenal players were still able to remain in tact and remain resolute in their shape at the back, shows how good our back line is this season.

Liverpool are favourites, but with a defence like this we have a chance of pushing them right up until the end of this season.

From an individual performance perspective it feels a difficult one to call; I don’t think any of the XI that started in red and white excelled. Saliba and Gabriel were strong but still had their iffy moments, as did Raya even though he had little to do, whilst Kiwior at left back wasn’t amazing but he wasn’t targeted by City as much as I thought he might be.

In midfield Rice was sat deep enough with Jorginho that they basically operated as the screens in front of the defence and we didn’t see as much of the roaming forward as we have done against other teams like Newcastle a few games back. Then in attack Gabriel Jesus created a couple of chances including one shot that hit the side netting, but we were feeding off scraps at times with the way City controlled the possession. I think it ended with us having something like 29% of the ball, which shows just how little time we got to create and build our play, passing and then chance creation.

But when you have yourself a strong defensive set up as we do, you always create chances and I think that foundation that we have built is a good platform; perhaps we could have even nicked a goal on the counter towards the end with Trossard and Martinelli?

All in all it feels like a significant point to me. But that only becomes true if we now pick up three points at home to Luton on Wednesday, then another at a ground in which we’ve suffered at many times before on Saturday evening: Brighton at the Amex. It feels like we’re going to need to be as good as we were today defensively, but create more chances to get anything against a Brighton side who are good in possession and cause us problems every season.

Our run in is such that we’re going to need to be near-perfect I think, but I do think that this game shows that this team is going to give it a right go and that they will not let up, despite us having the hardest run in of all of the teams fighting for this title.

I’m going to leave it there for today I think. The team on the Same Old Arsenal pod did a post match review straight after the game yesterday, which you can watch here, if you fancy a little more to digest from yesterday’s chess match. Other than that I’ll catch you wonderful people tomorrow. Enjoy your Monday.