SOCCER: Manchester City 1 Arsenal 0:IT IS unusual to go on a diet at Christmas time, but Manchester City, with mixed results, are attempting to live on a meagre ration of goals. They scored just once in last week's defeat at Chelsea, but a single strike here was nutritious. There will be a glow to their cheeks after regaining the lead in the Premier League that Manchester United enjoyed for just a few hours.

No one should assume that the extravagant scoring has come to a halt. In an encounter where Arsenal also had moments of enterprise, City showed some of their hunger for goals although the nourishment that came their way was confined to a David Silva goal. Credit for that goes to an Arsenal line-up far better-balanced and more resilient than in the start to this campaign.

They are unrecognisable as the club that was crushed 8-2 at Old Trafford. There were difficulties here, yet they coped well with having no recognised full-backs available as Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen took over those duties. In the circumstances, Roberto Mancini can be satisfied that his men notched a deserved win despite the honourable stubbornness of Arsenal.

City had to demonstrate their solidity and their defence was called upon to see out this win. Vermaelen’s fine drive from 18 yards had to be deflected over the bar by Joe Hart’s outstanding save in the 90th minute.

Arsenal are now a dozen points adrift of City, but the prospects of a full recovery from sickly form at the opening of the campaign had been slight in any case. The victors here will appreciate that a side with the expectation of trophies must have a range of means in their repertoire. The austerity of last season will not be making a return, but it can do no harm for the team to know that it can still take the maximum benefit from a single goal.

Attention fell on City’s Samir Nasri, who was taking on men who were team-mates last season, but he had no special role in proceedings. Arsenal were instead to demonstrate a competitiveness and unity that was not shaken even when they were obliged to send on the 19-year-old Ignasi Miquel for an injured Johan Djourou.

Regardless of such issues, the lasting meaning of the contest will be the victory for City. It ought not to have come as a surprise that, at the interval, there had been three bookings but no goals. If Arsenal had two of those yellow cards it reflected the fact that the pressure was on them as City tried to imply that their domination is not declining in the slightest.

City did that to an extent, but Arsenal had more persistence than anticipated in defence even if the lack of available full-backs required Djourou, like his fellow centre-back Thomas Vermaelen, to fill those posts.

Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczensy did most to leave the match goalless at the interval when he blocked an effort after Mario Balotelli had got behind the Arsenal centre-back Per Mertesacker in the 24th minute. The visitors, unlike City, remain in the Champions League and perhaps the endurance shown in the early exchanges helps to explain that.

The goalkeeping was repeatedly excellent, but City could not be denied indefinitely. After 52 minutes, Balotelli was unmarked on the left and ran free for a drive that Szczesny parried just far enough for Sergio Aguero to make a headed challenge, with Silva on the scene to send his side into the lead. Pablo Zabaleta came close to proving a second goal for City when hitting the post in the 66th minute. City, however, were ultimately relieved just to come through a late onslaught.

As time passes, though, this match will also act as a warning to them. No matter how much money has been poured into City, they are still subject to stresses. The impact that some of the signings may have had elsewhere is not guaranteed to be transferable.

And no matter what achievements have been recorded, they are now engaged in putting a club with no modern track record that is worth boasting about at the peak of English football. Sheikh Mansour’s investment is doing much to accelerate the progress, but players will continue to be fallible human beings. As the recent Champions League games demonstrated, however, these men also have occasions when they act like mere beginners.

The likely truth, however, is that Mancini anticipated City would not go on racking up goals in carefree manner. Winning so awkwardly as they did here is a knack that must also be at their disposal as the title quest intensifies.

Guardian Service