Man City's First PL Loss to Arsenal in Eight Years

 Man City's First PL Loss to Arsenal in Eight Years

Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal passes the ball under pressure from Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias of Man City during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on October 08, 2023 in London, England.(Image-Getty)

Manchester City faced their first Premier League defeat to Arsenal in eight years on Sunday, dropping to third place in the standings. However, midfielder Bernardo Silva emphasized that the loss was not a catastrophic setback.

In a closely contested match at the Emirates Stadium, substitute Gabriel Martinelli scored late to secure a 1-0 victory for Arsenal, leveling them with league leaders Tottenham Hotspur at 20 points. Meanwhile, the reigning champions, Manchester City, slipped to 18 points after losing their last two Premier League games.

Last season, City and Arsenal engaged in a fierce two-way battle for the title, with City trailing until Arsenal stumbled towards the end of the season.

Speaking in an interview on City's website, Bernardo Silva commented, "We need to rest mentally and physically to be ready for the next games because they are going to be tough, and improve in the areas where we can improve like last season. We will try to come back stronger from the international break. It's not the end of the world. We have been in much worse positions."

Manchester City's next match is scheduled for October 21st against Brighton & Hove Albion, followed by a clash with rivals Manchester United on October 29th.

Manager Pep Guardiola called for a rebound from his team, stating, "We are behind, but it is October. It's not the first time. Last season it happened, we were much further behind, but the season is long. We have people coming back, and we will try to break (the losing run) and beat upcoming opponents like Brighton and United. We will continue."