3 takeaways from Arsenal's narrow victory over Manchester City

A nervy conclusion at the Emirates Stadium didn't produce the goals needed to spoil celebrations in the stands as Arsenal staved off Manchester City's late onslaught to capture a valuable three points.

Here's three takeaways from Arsenal's 2-1 victory over City:

Arsenal-Manchester City rivalry blossoms

Contempt for the opponent is key to any rivalry, which is why the chippy play and growing dislike toward one another has transformed matches with Manchester City and Arsenal into one of Europe's must-watch matches.

Monday's contest featured most of the elements that fans come to expect from marquee fixtures, as both teams showed an increasing sense of dislike towards the other with several fouls drawing the ire of players, coaching staff, and fans on either side.

Perhaps the one feature missing at the Emirates Stadium was either team's reputation for having a player get sent off - three players have seen their days come to a premature end in five matches since 2010, including a plethora of yellow cards being issued.

While the Premier League is home to several of the fiercest rivalries, whether it's local or fueled by a history of hatred - Arsenal and Manchester City is quickly maturing into one of the league's top encounters.

Yaya's late display fails to salvage a point

There's a case to be made that Arsenal had no business winning if Yaya Toure wasn't such a non-factor for a majority of the match before turning on the jets at the end.

The Ivorian was virtually unstoppable in the final 10 minutes when he played an instrumental role in City's desperate attempts to salvage a point and stun an Arsenal outfit that - based on its opponent's ineptitude from earlier in the fixture - may have been looking ahead to its date with Southampton on Boxing Day.

However, his influential performance was too little too late as the final whistle sounded and his dominance near the end will likely be overlooked in favour of his inability to make an impact on the match for more than three quarters of the tie.

Ozil propels Arsenal, once again

No one can stop the Premier League's top provider from dropping dimes.

Mesut Ozil's campaign to become the first Arsenal player to win the PFA Player of the Year award since Robin van Persie (2011-12) was given another major boost after his prominent display.

Rather than the assists - of which Ozil collected two during the 2-1 game - his importance to Arsenal's success was evident when manager Arsene Wenger removed him from the game in favour of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Related - Mesut Ozil: Midfield maestro, merchant of hope

Arsenal's form took a major hit in the final minutes with Ozil's absence proving to be a mistake that could have prevented the north London side from claiming three points. Although Toure's influence on the contest played a major role, Arsenal lacked the control and calming nature that Ozil has mastered with the Gunners following his frustrating start to life in England.