Arsenal's City game show why Van Persie left for Man Utd

For lessons in how to win when playing badly, look to Manchester United.

For lessons in how not to win when playing superbly, look to Arsenal. And now, also Liverpool.

For all the positives that were self-evident as both Liverpool and Arsenal outplayed and outclassed Manchester City, it was City that learnt the United lesson – coming away with a point from two games that on stats and form, it should have lost.

That is why City have the title – and Arsenal and Liverpool do not.

That is why Manchester United sit in second place just a point off Chelsea, while Liverpool are third from bottom and Arsenal seem content to bask in the warm glow of taking more positives than negatives from games they play.

Arsene Wenger said that the title and a team’s final place is decided by how you perform against the top four teams – at the time meaning City, United, Chelsea and of course Arsenal themselves (he could not have meant Spurs, now could he?).

Let’s look at the Gunners’ stats versus City.

Ball possession was better by 57 to 43 per cent.

Arsenal put in 18 crosses to only 11 by City.

All that ball possession meant that Arsenal drew 11 fouls from City while only conceding 8.

However, the one stat that probably matters is that City had 6 shots on target to Arsenal’s 5.

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal are a title-winning team now.

Wenger himself believes that his current side is the most complete he has ever managed in the Premier League.

Robin Van Persie left Arsenal not because the team did not play well or he lacked goals or goal-scoring service.

He left because without the ability to win when you’re playing badly, you cannot win titles.

Without the ability to win when you’re playing well… well, that is eight years without a trophy.