PL Fan Fest in Tampa reacts to Man City v. Arsenal
Take a look at the top crowd reactions to a high-intensity Manchester City v. Arsenal match with heavy title implications from Premier League Fan Fest in Tampa, FL.
Video Transcript
Back here live in Tampa, Florida, Fan Fest.
We've taken our show on the road, and this game is the biggest game we think we've ever done on NBC.
Alan Shearer, Theo Walcott, alongside Tim Howard and the two Robbies.
Alan, let me start with you.
Kai Havertz over Victor Gykeres, good decision?
Yeah, I understand that, 'cause Arsenal are gonna, gonna have to hold that ball up, and that's not one of, Victor's strengths.
When the ball goes in to Havertz, he's gonna have to hold it up and bring people into the game, and I think that's one of the main reasons he's in there.
And when you look at the rest of the team, you've got degaard, you've got Eze.
Do you get the sense they're not gonna go for it, go for it, but go for it a little bit?
I hope so, because that will be great for the neutral and great for all us watching here, and we want, we want goals.
But I suspect Arsenal will try and sit tight and try and be patient and try and hit them on the break.
I don't see Arsenal changing that much.
I do agree, however, I feel like Arsenal need to be different today.
They can't be predictable.
and I feel like that's how they're gonna get the result.
Because the amount of pressure that Man City will have today, if they can have the ball, you need to be able to actually be positive when you have it, because they will just starve you of the ball.
They're that good at it.
However, you know, I agree with the guys on comms.
The fact that they're gonna have to come at them, it will open up, and this is where we wanna see that freedom element of the players that we missed recently.
And we have weak sunshine in Manchester.
We have a full house of 54,000 people.
And it is Arsenal who get this potential title decider underway.
Both sides happily in their traditional colors.
Manchester City so strong at home.
One defeat in their last 21 in the Premier League here.
Arsenal unbeaten in eight away.
Gahie.
Calmer's man on the pitch is Neymar Gahie.
He's been excellent in this opening period.
Rodri.
aki.
Dribbling through and scoring brilliantly and beautifully for Manchester City.
The little genius from France coming into his own at the business end of the league campaign.
Goal for Manchester City.
His quick feet in a, in the penalty area.
You could see the excitement in his step as he realized he was in the penalty area facing up two center-backs.
On the move all the time there.
Look, you see the speed he picks up.
He really attacks Gabriel.
Runs straight at him, changes direction quickly.
Lovely balance to skip over the challenge, and then just slides it through the legs of the Arsenal defender who's coming across the pitch.
And Saliba, who tries to make the block, he just passes it into the net.
It's a wonderful individual goal by aki, and that- Yeah, that, I mean, the skill on the ball was brilliant enough, but it was his positioning.
He just stood in some space.
If you're standing in space and you're a good player, you don't have to move out of it.
Just wait for the ball to come to you.
That's the genius bit as well as the run.
Oh!
Oh, oh.
At the other end, Donnarumma is caught out.
Havertz is there to profit, and Arsenal, in an instant, are level.
One of the world's very best goalkeepers left with egg on his face.
And aki's goal, brilliant though it was, is immediately canceled out.
This is just taking too much time, and he knows it, Donnarumma.
Takes a first touch.
He knows he's under pressure.
How long does it take to get his strike away?
And Kai Havertz, who's back in the side, just gets an, an ankle on it.
Straight in the top corner.
The lead didn't last long.
Kasanov asking Donnarumma to scramble a little.
I think he does the right thing there, Kasanov, actually, because he, he was expecting Donnarumma to come out.
Happy from O'Riley, and Rodri.
Bernardo Silva.
Awkward.
The referees have spotted an infringement.
Martinelli is coming on for Arsenal in this second half.
The nerves here are gonna be jangling for the next 45 minutes.
I know they are for you at home as well.
We'll see you all at full time.
Let's take you back, Lee Dixon, Graham , and John Champion.
They've been trying to whip the crowd up over there.
Bernardo Silva's corner, hanging.
And here's Kasanov, and Haaland.
But Arsenal just couldn't get it clear.
Rodri.
Some pass, some take, but then it runs away off his right boot.
Not as adhesive as he needed.
Martinelli.
He's set on, set on Havertz, who feels he should have got something.
Yeah, that's good defending.
You know they're always up to win the ball.
Here's degaard through the middle, and now it's Kai Havertz.
Still not away.
Donnarumma has earned his money in that moment.
Since their equalizing goal.
And here's Doku.
City's response.
Fomenko goes a-tumbling, looks plaintively at the referee.
Yeah.
He's always right, anyway.
This day causing nothing to do with it.
Sorry.
degaard.
Eze!
Inside of the upright and out again.Doku.
O'Reilly.
Haaland!
How significant a moment is that in the title chase?
Wrestling with all the defenders.
That throw, now look how far O'Reilly gets before he's challenged, edge of the box.
Doku, we know what he can do on his right foot.
That little ball there just falls to him.
Rodri's in the box, goes through his legs, and then hardly had a touch in front of goal.
Only needs one.
It's scruffy.
It's just put Man City in a dominant position in the title race.
How important will that goal be?
Gets away for the first time, really, from Gabriel.
And they needed one chance, one chance to fall to their talismanic striker, and he's put them ahead.
And their talismanic striker is at it again.
Wrestling with Gabriel.
His shirt hanging loose now as a result of that tussle.
How's that not a foul?
This is maybe his farewell gesture, this free kick.
And it's Gabriel.
Again, the woodwork, and then the follow-up save.
Arsenal doing everything but score.
Joinin' a long line of player-players here beloved by the supporters.
The Fan Fest happening in Tampa, also a Tampa resident is one of that number down the years, Rodney Marsh.
Back in the '70s here, a great favorite.
Now it's kicking off.
The first flashpoint.
You can hear it now.
Yellow cards.
Ole frantically beckoning down below us at the moment, standing well outside his technical area.
Trossard.
Good chance.
Havertz couldn't direct the header.
And it may be Arsenal's final opportunity today.
He chooses the safe option, back to Donnarumma, who will whack it.
It's half over, but the title race tilts in Manchester City's favor.
A huge win.
And if you look at the top of the table now, the gap that a week ago could have been twelve points is now just three.
And if Manchester City win at relegation-bound Burnley on Wednesday, they will be top of the table.
So a day, Rebecca, of grinding tension in England's northwest.
Arsenal came here as leaders.
They depart as leaders, but the question is, for how much longer?
City can go top on Wednesday.
Today, they've run the summit meeting.
City two, Arsenal one
