Arteta's side have grown in depth and size and Pep has a title race on his hands

Title race well and truly on. And not just because Arsenal beat the heavy favourites, the dead certs, the cannot-be-caught machine of Manchester City. It's down to the fact that Goliath's rival has shown it has grown in the opening weeks of the season.

This term, Arsenal needed to show they have gone up a level after last season's heartbreak of spending 248 days at the top of the table and not getting the job done in the home straight. And Sunday's win over the champions was one of several examples since the summer to show that they have.

Grown in two ways, in fact: in depth and in height.

Let's look at the depth first. In the two league matches against City last season, Arsenal came into this top-of-the-table clash with at least one key injury - and subsequently suffered. In the February match at the Emirates, Thomas Partey dropped out with a late injury, to join Gabriel Jesus on the sidelines. In April, the Gunners went to the Emirates with no William Saliba, ruled out for the season.

This game was no different. Bukayo Saka is the one player in the Arsenal team that does not have a direct back-up - his club record 87 consecutive games and Jesus being shoehorned into that winger role the proof of that - and potentially an 'old Arsenal' would have been psychologically damaged by his injury.

But Mikel Arteta's side have got more about them this season. No issues with depth against City now - best shown by three of the substitutes coming off the bench to combine for the winner, so this team could get the win without Saka.

Gabriel Martinelli took the headlines with the winning goal that his second-half performance deserved - but Kai Havertz's role to set up the goal alongside Takehiro Tomiyasu is particularly relevant to