Trips to The Etihad Stadium have been the among most foreboding in the Premier League. Manchester United went there and conceded 4, while Tottenham conceded 6.

It's not often Arsenal will score 3 times and be soundly beaten, but the Gunners are now the second team from North London to concede 6 in the blue half of Manchester.

Wojciech Szczesny - 5 – Despite letting in 6, Szczesny could do little with any of the goals. Even when conceding a penalty for the 6^th, he was exposed by his outfield players, which was a running theme in the game.

Bacary Sagna – 5 – It appeared that Sagna was rushed back from injury, as he looked off the pace, and had a tough time containing Samir Nasri. He gave a nice assist for Arsenal's 3^rd goal, but this was a below-par Sagna.

Laurent Koscielny – 4 – He departed the pitch with what looked like a bad injury, but is apparently only a deep cut. However, the Frenchman had a poor game before then, losing Aguero for the first goal, and Negredo for the second.

Per Mertesacker – 4 – He's the man who holds the Arsenal defence together, so letting in 6 demonstrates that Mertesacker didn't perform to the level that was needed. He wasn't helped by a lack of protection from his midfield. Scored the 3^rd goal.

Nacho Monreal – 4 – Monreal has been a trusty lieutenant for most of the season, but he was woeful today. City got a lot of change down his side of the pitch (especially in the first-half), and Monreal was unable to deal with David Silva, Pablo Zabaleta, or Jesus Navas.

Mathieu Flamini – 4 – While Flamini's doggedness and tough-tackling is the key facet of his game, his role today was often to be the starting point for attacks. However, City pressured him well, and he failed to do enough with the ball, as evidenced by Fernandinho's 1^st goal. This was a case of Mikel Arteta being badly missed.

Aaron Ramsey – 5 – Ramsey played important parts in Arsenal's first two goals, and was a force when Arsenal were attacking. However, he failed to help Flamini when City had the ball. He came off second best in his battle with Yaya Toure. It was a performance full of heart, but low on brains.

Theo Walcott – 7 – One of the few positives from the game was the display of Walcott. He made a couple of dangerous early runs behind Gael Clichy, but his real effect on the match came when he drifted infield from the right flank. He scored twice, with his second being one of the best finishes I've seen all season.

Mesut Ozil – 5 – It will likely be forgotten that Ozil gave a delightful assist for Walcott's first goal. The main narrative from the German's performance will be his frustration at failing to link with his teammates, and a post-match row with Mertesacker about applauding the away fans after the game.

Jack Wilshere – 4 –  Similar to Ramsey, Wilshere was full of toil, but was naïve in a lot of his decision making. He created a good chance for Olivier Giroud at 2-3 down, but he failed to keep the ball well enough, and was accountable defensively for City's 2^nd and 6^th goals.

Olivier Giroud – 5 – One can never fault Giroud's application. But he remains a centre-forward who isn't lethal enough in front of goal. Missed a couple of good opportunities when the game was still in the balance (although he did have a goal wrongly disallowed for offside later in the match). He looked fatigued as the game progressed, and could need some help in attack in January.

SUBS

Thomas Vermaelen – 5 – Made a positional error for Silva's goal. Arsenal will need him back to his best over the coming weeks.

Serge Gnabry – N/A – Failed to make an impact.

Nicklas Bendtner –  N/A – Had a goal incorrectly chalked off for being offside.

To get something against Manchester City at the Etihad, then you have to prepare thoroughly, and play at your best. Arsenal failed on both counts today. The first one isn't their fault, as their recent schedule has been unforgiving.

The second, however, is something Arsenal need to work on. They failed to adjust to the match situation, making far too many errors. City are the type of side who will make you pay for such mistakes.

The Gunners are still top, so it would be premature to panic. However, if they lose to Chelsea, a week on Monday, then questions will have to be asked about this side's ability to win the title.

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