WHEN Robinho killed off Arsenal with the impertinent lob that made it 2-0, he ran to the touchline to celebrate with Elano. It was a gesture of solidarity with the substitute and a rebuke towards Mark Hughes, with whom Elano enjoys cool relations, if only a mild and momentary one. Manchester City’s problems are seen in tiny tableaux; Arsenal are currently a complete, vivid canvas of pain. If the club were a painting it would be Eduard Munch’s The Scream: a picture of disorientation, anguish and doubt.

And wordlessness. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of utter surrender against opponents who were not asked to play well, or work hard, for only their second victory over Arsene Wenger’s team in the Premier League, was Arsenal’s silent and accepting nature. William Gallas was stripped of the captaincy and left in London for speaking out about dressing room quarrels - but at least Gallas speaks.

On the pitch Arsenal went 1-0 down and nobody in their ranks opened their mouth, no words of encouragement were said or even blame issued for the abject defending that led to the goal. It was the same for 2-0 and 3-0. In his technical area Wenger could not even muster his usual John Cleese gestures of frustration when things are going badly and in his post-match interviews he continued to be impassive. All that came from Wenger was a refusal to talk about Gallas and the risible contention that “nothing was disturbing [our preparation] before the game.”

Perhaps, given his vast experience and polished record, Wenger knows what he is doing and has decided it is time to keep everything - including his plan for dealing with the slump which has devastated Arsenal’s title ambitions -in house.

Gallas has undoubtedly caused damage by revealing the player spats that have beset his club’s season, though suggestions he has done so in order to maximise profits from his new autobiography, are unfair: money from the book is going to charity.

Thanks to Gallas, a fight between Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott at half-time of Arsenal’s 4-4 draw with Tottenham, is now public knowledge as is the former captain’s annoyance with Samir Nasri. Nicklas Bendtner is another thought to be unpopular with colleagues. Nasri, Van Persie and Bentdner were Wenger’s attacking trident here but were blunter than a plastic fork.

Wenger’s thesis that Gallas had nothing to do with Arsenal’s fifth league defeat of the season looked less credible because of how his back four played. Gallas’s captaincy credentials were dubious before his outburst but he has long been Arsenal’s best defender and, without him, the team were fragile at centre back where an unfit Mikael Silvestre and terrified-looking Johann Djourou, failed to cope with Robinho‘s counter attacks. After a featureless first 30 minutes, City asserted themselves and thereafter concentrated on playing through balls that would allow Robinho, Darius Vassell and Benjani to get behind Wenger’s rearguard.

Shaun Wright Phillips excelled at these but was not involved when City went ahead. Djourou mishit a pass and then failed to challenge Benjani before he fed Pablo Zabaleta who got inside the box but let the ball run in front of him, inviting Gael Clichy to clear. Clichy panicked and sliced his kick, the ball striking his colleague and rebounding to Stephen Ireland, who calmly beat Manuel Almunia.

Almunia wore Arsenal’s arm-band in Gallas’s place but he has never been an assertive personality. The second half began with Arsenal attempting a comeback but Bendtner was inaccurate from close range and Van Persie could only graze the post with his free kick. Then Wright-Phillips robbed Van Persie in midfield and squeezed a lovely pass through for Robinho to take clear.

As Almunia advanced, the Brazilian beat him in derisory style with an impish chip. Bendtner missed another chance and from then it was a question of how many City would get. It should have been more than one, with Robinho fluffing a header then taking the ball round Almunia but having his shot cleared off the line by Djourou. Robinho also had a goal disallowed for offside. Daniel Sturridge was dumbly hauled down by Djourou and the substitute got up to convert the penalty. “Crisis, quelle crisis?”, Wenger tried to argue but nobody believed him.

MAN CITY: Hart 7, Zabaleta 6, Dunne 7, Richards 6, Garrido 7, Kompany 7, Wright-Phillips 8, Ireland 6, Robinho 7, Benjani 5 (Sturridge 88min), Vassell 5
ARSENAL: Almunia 5, Hoyte 5 (Ramsey 60min, 6), Djourou 4, Silvestre 5, Clichy 4, Denilson 5, Song 4, Nasri 5, Van Persie 5, Diaby 5 (Vela 69min), Bentdner 4

A club in crisis

Arsenal’s defeat at Manchester City has left them with five league defeats before the end of November, the highest number in the first 14 matches of a season since Arsène Wenger’s first full campaign in 1997-98</p>

Their 23 points from 14 matches is the second worst since Wenger, inset, took over. They had just 22 points in 2006-07, when they finished fourth</p>

Manchester United, twice, and Chelsea have lost only five matches all season when winning the past three Premier League titles