Gary Neville slams two Mikel Arteta decisions from Arsenal defeat to Man City – 'Hampered enormously'

Arsenal lost more crucial ground in the Premier League title race after Manchester City's win at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday

Gary Neville has claimed that Mikel Arteta's decision to field Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera as full-backs on Sunday "hampered them enormously", with the pair offering little going forward.

The Gunners travelled to Manchester City for a crucial encounter, only to be beaten by their nearest title rivals. Erling Haaland's second-half winner inflicted a significant blow to Arsenal's Premier League title aspirations.

The north Londoners arrived at the Etihad on the back of a difficult run of form, having been warned against sitting deep and settling for a point.

Their display earned widespread praise, yet Neville believed their attacking output was severely restricted by the full-back pairing Arteta opted for.

While Hincapie and Mosquera performed admirably in a defensive capacity, they struggled to make an impact in the final third.

This afforded City an additional advantage, with both Nico O'Reilly and Matheus Nunes exerting considerable influence in attacking areas.

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Neville said on his podcast: "Arsenal were hampered enormously by their full-backs. I thought actually they did a good job, Hincapie and Mosquera, they really stuck to their task, but they're limited on the ball.

"So if you think about Matheus Nunes and Nico O'Reilly for City, or how Jurrien Timber or Riccardo Calafiori or others are for Arsenal, they were just blocked off.

"You haven't got that subtlety on that ball or that ability, that safe, consistent and reliable ability, to feed the ball in, good touches and passes and getting it into your front players and midfield players because they're centre-backs effectively, they're not full-backs.

"So I thought they stuck to the task really well, the two full-backs for Arsenal, but you lose a lot when you lose Timber, you lose a lot. He's a bit of a powerhouse going forward, he links really well."

O'Reilly has proved pivotal during City's recent form. He netted twice in their Carabao Cup victory over Arsenal and has maintained his knack for crucial goals. The left-back provided the assist for Haaland's decisive strike.

Speaking after the match, Guardiola praised the academy product's outstanding campaign - and endorsed him for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

"Incredible defensively, offensively and set-pieces," he said. "What a player he is becoming, playing different positions. He is exceptional.

"He had the composure today to take the ball and again arrive in the final third for the second goal. What a season! I don't know if he is the best player or the man of the season, but the young one? Guys, it has to be."