Seaman shares what Manchester City fans told him about Arsenal display

By Jordan Harris

David Seaman has told his Seaman Says podcast that he was a little disappointed with Mikel Arteta’s team selection for the FA Cup tie between Arsenal and Manchester City on Friday, but shared what some City fans were saying about the Gunners after their defeat.

Pep Guardiola’s men booked their spot in the fifth round of the competition. Nathan Ake scored the only goal in a tie which pitted the Premier League’s top two against each other at the Etihad Stadium.

Some may see the win for City as a psychological blow ahead of their two meetings in the Premier League. But Seaman believes that Arsenal surpassed expectations given the side that was named.

Seaman praises Arsenal after Manchester City loss

The likes of Aaron Ramsdale, William Saliba, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli were all left out of the starting lineup.

Seaman conceded that he was not best pleased when the lineups emerged. However, he suggested that he was encouraged by the performance. And it seems that plenty of opposition supporters were impressed with what they saw from the league leaders.

“I was quite happy with the way Arsenal played. Watching the game I was thinking we’re doing alright. Well, we were doing better than alright because City had got a really strong team,” he told Seaman Says.

“When I saw how many changes Arsenal had made, I was a little bit disappointed, but I can totally understand it. The way that we played, it was as though it was the first-team. And it’s a great sign to see that everybody’s on board with the way that we were playing.

“Even after the game, a lot of Man City fans were coming up to me and saying that we played really well. They were really surprised at how good we were.”

Of course, the result in the FA Cup will count for little when the two meet in the Premier League. But Arsenal will take a lot of confidence from how they played.

Several of their players proved a point with their displays. And that is saying something when you consider that many will suggest that it is Manchester City who have the frightening amount of depth.

They still need to prove that they can handle the demands of a title race when it goes down to the wire. But Arsenal are clearing almost every hurdle put in front of them right now.

So anyone tempted to write them off after Friday will have to be prepared to look quite foolish come the end of the season.