Micah Richards names 'real leader' in Arsenal defence amid William Saliba being named POTM vs Man City

Micah Richards has named who he believes to be the 'real leader' in the Arsenal dressing room after their 0-0 draw with Manchester City.

Arsenal put in a stoic defensive effort to keep out City at the Etihad Stadium, limiting their opponents to just one shot on target across the entire match.

The Gunners did have some attacking threat at the other end, although Stefan Ortega's late save from Leandro Trossard was the closest they got to scoring.

The result leaves Arsenal two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, having led the table on goal difference prior to the Reds' 2-1 win over Brighton earlier on Sunday.

City, meanwhile, are a point further back in third place.

William Saliba was given the Player of the Match award for his performance, having also received the same award after Arsenal's 1-0 win over City at the Emirates Stadium earlier in the season.

But speaking on The Rest is Football, Richards admitted that, although Saliba was named as the star player, he believes one Gunners team-mate as the side's real leader instead.

He explained: "I think when you watch it from a defender's point of view, you know Man City are going to be having a lot of the ball. But what is your concentration going to be like at the key moments?

"I thought they [Arsenal] got it spot on, in terms of positioning, when to go, when to drop off. And then they were basically saying, 'Okay, you have the ball wide, and we'll flood the centre of the field'. It was just amazing.

"We've got to give credit to Gabriel. Saliba got Man of the Match and I think there was talk about Saliba and how well he's done.

"But Gabriel has improved so much as well, and become a real leader of that back four. He really has."