Manchester City vs Arsenal match report: Gunners fight back to leave Champions League qualification out of City's hands

Manchester City 2 Arsenal 2

Alexis Sanchez celebrates making it 2-2 with Theo Walcott (Getty )

They still sing about ‘fighting to the end’ at Manchester City, but as Manuel Pellegrini departed to boos at the end of his final home game as manager, the prospect of Pep Guardiola inheriting the poisoned chalice of a Europa League campaign became increasingly realistic after Alexis Sanchez earned Arsenal a point at the Etihad Stadium.

So much for fighting to the end. This City team appear to have started to wave the white flag and the nightmare scenario now is of Manchester United winning their final two Premier League games, at West Ham and at home to Bournemouth, to claim the fourth and final Champions League qualification berth at their neighbours’ expense.

Arsenal, having failed to win this game, can still miss out on the top four, but it would a require a defeat at home to already-relegated Aston Villa next Sunday for that distant possibility to become a reality.

So City must now wait and watch, anxiously hoping for West Ham to deny United three points in the final-ever game at Upton Park on Tuesday.

But having lavished over £150m on new players last summer, City should have been going into the final weekend with the title at stake – if not already won – rather than hoping for favours from others.

Pellegrini’s reign is ending with a whimper and Guardiola could yet to be left to pick up the pieces of a season in the Europa League when he arrives in the summer.

Having arrived back in Manchester just before 4am on Thursday morning, following the Champions League semi-final elimination against Real Madrid, the big question mark over City was how they would react to both the physical and psychological effects of their trip to the Spanish capital.

Arsenal, fresh from a week without competitive action, would surely test City’s endurance to the full in the early stages on a baking hot afternoon at the Etihad, but as it was, the home side started the game as though they had spent the week relaxing and preparing for this fixture.

Olivier Giroud heads in Arsenal's first of the game (Getty)

Perhaps it was a ploy to kill the game before the fatigue factor kicked in, but whatever City’s game-plan, they were the most likely team to score in the opening stages.

Jesus Navas, who has become something of a protected species under Pellegrini this season, divides opinion among City supporters, but despite his deficiencies, the Spaniard possesses lightning pace and it was his foray down the right which led to Aguero’s opener on eight minutes.

Navas’s cross found Fernandinho and the Brazilian’s head down was missed by Mohamed Elneny, leaving Aguero to send a half-volley past Petr Cech from 20 yards.

It was the perfect response to the defeat in Madrid, a meek surrender characterised by City’s failure to register a single shot on target in the Santiago Bernabeu, but Pellegrini’s players could only hold onto their lead for sixty seconds.

Gael Clichy’s woeful attempt to clear a cross into the City penalty area saw his header bounce inches wide of the far post, thereby gifting Arsenal a corner, and the chance was devoured by Giroud, who escaped the static Eliaquim Mangala to head in his first Premier League goal for 881 minutes.

Aguero almost restored City’s lead in sixteen minutes, when his right foot strike from 12 yards was deflected over by Gabriel.

Moments later, Arsenal suffered a blow with the loss of forward Danny Welbeck, who limped off clutching his right knee following lengthy treatment.

With England manager Roy Hodgson due to name his Euro 2016 squad on Thursday, the sight of Welbeck hobbling out of this game will not be well-received, although the one positive was that the former Manchester United player was replaced by Jack Wilshere, a player central to Hodgson’s plans for France.

Wilshere’s introduction was timely for Arsenal, with Fernando and Fernandinho dominating the midfield for City. With Wilshere in the game, Arsenal suddenly possessed the ability to bite back.

Fernandinho’s drive and energy kept City on top, however, and the home team regained the lead on 51 minutes when Kevin De Bruyne broke from deep inside the Arsenal half before cutting inside and beating Cech from the edge of the penalty area.

Cech went down like a fallen tree, painfully slowly and unable to keep out De Bruyne’s shot, and the goal put City back in control of their destiny.

But Arsene Wenger’s decision to introduce Theo Walcott from the bench injected much needed pace into his team’s attacking forays and the England winger repeatedly broke behind the City rearguard.

His arrival re-energised Giroud and the pair caused consternation for the City defence, but it was Sanchez’s burst forward which ultimately saw Arsenal level the scores.

The Chilean broke with pace following Wilshere’s pass forward and his lay-off to Giroud on the edge of the penalty area was returned by the French forward, leaving Sanchez with a clear strike at goal.

Facing Hart, Sanchez coolly fooled the goalkeeper by sending him the wrong way with his right foot shot to make it 2-2.

It was a deserved equaliser for Arsenal and hammer blow for City.

But if United now win their final two games, the ramifications of this result will only be truly felt next season.