Maresca says early Arsenal goal set the tone for Manchester City defeat

Enzo Maresca says Arsenal’s goal after just 25 seconds had a major impact on Manchester City’s 3-0 defeat in Cardiff, Wales, but believes his side created enough chances to have drawn level before the second goal.

Arsenal secured their first trophy of the season with a convincing win over the English league champions. The result left Manchester City with areas to address before the start of their Premier League campaign.

“The goal we conceded after 25 seconds unfortunately affected the match at that moment,” Manchester City manager Maresca told the BBC.

He said his players responded positively after falling behind and had opportunities to change the course of the game.

“I think that after the goal our reaction was very good,” he said. “Before they scored the second goal, we had three or four chances to score and equalise, but unfortunately we conceded the second goal and things became more complicated.”

Maresca felt the early setback was particularly damaging because of the narrow margins expected in a match between two closely matched teams.

“I was disappointed because in this type of game the level of the two teams is very similar, and when you concede a goal, things become difficult,” he added.

Despite the defeat, the Manchester City manager was encouraged by parts of his team’s performance after Arsenal took the lead. He pointed to the chances created and the fact that his side did not immediately concede further goals.

“After the first goal I was quite happy, because we did not concede anything else and we created three or four chances to equalise,” Maresca said. “Unfortunately, we conceded the second goal, and there was a mistake in that situation, but this is only the beginning.”

Arsenal’s second goal gave them a stronger advantage and made Manchester City’s task significantly harder. The winners then completed the scoring to claim a 3-0 victory in Cardiff.

Maresca said Manchester City must now quickly turn their attention to the Premier League, which begins for them next Sunday with a meeting against Bournemouth.

“From next Sunday we will start the Premier League, so our focus has to be on that,” he said.

Asked what his team needs to improve, Maresca acknowledged that there was a substantial amount of work still to do at the beginning of the season.

“We have many things we need to work on,” he said. “The season has just started, and there are many things we need to do better.”

Maresca also stressed that improvement remains necessary even when Manchester City are winning matches.

“Even when we win games, there are things we need to improve,” he added.