Jamie Carragher didn't hold back in his criticism of Kai Havertz after the forward missed a golden opportunity to extend Arsenal's lead in its encounter with Manchester City on Sunday, a game that resulted in a resounding 5-1 victory for the Gunners, with Havertz himself netting the fourth goal.

Arsenal squared off against the reigning champion with the knowledge that anything short of a win would further hamper their shot at the title, especially after Liverpool created a nine-point cushion by dispatching Bournemouth on Saturday. Mikel Arteta's side commenced in stellar fashion as Martin Odegaard gave them an early lead within two minutes at the Emirates courtesy of a Manuel Akanji error.

The opportunity for Havertz to make it two arose in the 26th minute following another defensive blunder, this time by substitute keeper Stefan Ortega. Yet, Havertz failed to capitalize even with an inviting target and defenders John Stones and Ortega scrambling to cover the line, he couldn't hit the mark from just 12 yards out. The botched attempt had an impressive 0.77xG (expected goals) value.

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Despite his contribution to the scoreline later, Havertz's inconsistency has been costly for Arsenal on occasion. His failure to convert chances, including a blocked penalty in last month's FA Cup elimination at the hands of Manchester United, hasn't gone unnoticed.

Carragher analyzed during the half-time segment on Sky Sports' broadcast: "Arsenal are the best, and we saw this a lot last season, at winning the ball in these situations. Declan Rice's pass for the first goal is fantastic.

"But if I see another goalkeeper play that pass... I see this every weekend in the Premier League, the reason you're in goal is because you can't pass that well! These straight passes, Rice is as good as anyone there.

"But that has to be the game. He HAS to score that. That's a lack of confidence but also a lack of quality. Almost every center-forward in the Premier League would look at a situation like that and fancy themselves to score."

Havertz later added gloss to the scoreline, making it 4-1 with a sublime finish past John Stones following a rapid counter-attack. Sky Sports' Gary Neville was quick to comment: "It's such a big moment for him. Havertz hasn't got much time to think about it, it's instinctive, he knows what he's going to do on his left foot as he cuts inside, it's natural."

"That's such a big moment for him. He would've had some regrets tonight going to bed, even if his team won, thinking that he missed those two big chances in the first half. Now he's scored and taken the game for Arsenal."

The second half was nothing short of electrifying, with Haaland equalizing through a stunning header at the 55-minute mark. However, the parity lasted only 38 seconds before Thomas Partey's deflected effort nudged the hosts ahead once more.

Then, Myles Lewis-Skelly, an emerging talent from the academy, sealed the deal for Arsenal with his debut goal for the club, cutting in on his right foot in the box to extend the lead to 3-1 just six minutes later. Following Havertz's superb goal for Arsenal's fourth, 17-year-old substitute Ethan Nwaneri showcased his immense talent by adding a brilliant curling shot into the far corner.

The victory for Arsenal narrows the gap to league leader Liverpool to six points. However, the Reds have a game in hand against local rivals Everton at Goodison Park, scheduled for next Wednesday.

On the other hand, City find themselves 15 points behind Liverpool having played an extra game. They are level on points with fifth-placed Newcastle and risk being overtaken by Chelsea, who are just a point behind and set to face West Ham on Monday night.