MANCHESTER, England — John Stones‘ 98th-minute equaliser salvaged a 2-2 draw for Manchester City on Sunday in opposition to an Arsenal facet who needed to play your complete second half with 10 males following Leandro Trossard‘s controversial pink card.
In a pulsating recreation at Etihad Stadium between final season’s high two within the Premier League, Erling Haaland scored his 100th goal for City in just 105 appearances, giving the house facet a ninth-minute lead. The Gunners responded impressively, although, as Riccardo Calafiori marked his league debut with a chic left-footed strike earlier than Gabriel Magalhães headed in Bukayo Saka‘s Forty fifth-minute nook.
Trossard was dismissed for a second yellow-card offence in kicking the ball away after fouling Bernardo Silva, a second that promoted a livid response from Gunners boss Mikel Arteta. Metropolis spent your complete second half camped on the sting of Arsenal’s field however seemed destined to lose a league recreation at house for the primary time in virtually two years earlier than Stones turned the ball house from shut vary after a scramble within the field following a brief nook. — James Olley
Arsenal ill-disciplined or refereeing inconsistency?
For the second time in three Premier League video games, Arsenal misplaced a participant to a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.
Whereas Declan Rice was punished for a faint nudge in opposition to Brighton & Hove Albion, Trossard was dismissed right here for booting the ball off into the space after fouling Silva on the stroke of half-time. Each have been technically appropriate choices, however each have been additionally examples of time losing, which continuously go unpunished throughout matches — and sometimes in the identical video games. Joao Pedro escaped censure for kicking the ball away in that Brighton contest whereas Jérémy Doku delayed the restarting of play within the first half in Metropolis’s favour with out receiving a reserving.
Regardless of the inconsistencies within the software of that exact legislation, nonetheless, Trossard’s pink card extends a poor Gunners disciplinary file beneath Arteta. Because the Spaniard’s first recreation in December 2019, Arsenal have had 17 gamers despatched off within the Premier League, 4 greater than some other staff. — Olley
Gunners toughen as much as take the struggle to Metropolis
Arteta has added some metal to his Arsenal facet this season, and it was evident inside simply 5 seconds of the kickoff when Kai Havertz crudely body-checked Rodri within the centre circle.
One of many criticisms of Arteta’s Gunners throughout their fruitless title battles in opposition to Metropolis in recent times has been their lack of edge. They’ve loads of expertise, however was there something behind the grins and pleasure of their younger gamers?
These smiles have been changed by snarls this season, and Arteta’s facet is starting to develop the nasty streak that ran by way of all of Arsene Wenger’s profitable groups. Arsenal’s battles with Manchester United, when the 2 sides received each Premier League title throughout a nine-year interval between 1996 and 2005, grew to become legendary for the belligerence displayed by each units of gamers.
Though the Metropolis-vs.-Arsenal video games have but to come back near matching the depth of the United-Arsenal rivalry, this recreation confirmed that it’s actually starting to brew up. The Havertz problem was one among numerous spiky exchanges, together with Trossard’s barge on Silva that preceded his second yellow card.
Gabriel spent the afternoon wrestling with Haaland, whereas Calafiori and Jurriën Timber have each added toughness to Arsenal’s defence, too. If the Gunners fail to win the title once more this season, it will not be due to an absence of struggle. — Mark Ogden
Metropolis ought to’ve been ready for Arsenal’s set-piece prowess
Man Metropolis could not say they weren’t warned — in each sense. Moments earlier than Gabriel headed in Saka’s Forty fifth-minute nook for what threatened to be the profitable objective — till Stones struck on the loss of life — the Brazilian defender had an analogous alternative from one other Saka supply he headed off track.
Gabriel’s risk ought to have been apparent — 14 of his 16 Premier League objectives have been from corners, the best ratio of any participant with 10 or extra objectives in Premier League historical past — and but the primary time he evaded Doku too simply and the second time he left Kyle Walker in his wake. Gabriel additionally headed in a Saka nook to supply the match-winning second in Arsenal’s north London derby win at Tottenham Hotspur per week earlier.
The Gunners scored a league-high 22 objectives from dead-ball conditions final season, and the mastermind behind all of it as soon as wore Metropolis blue: Nicolas Jover left Metropolis for Arsenal in 2021. — Olley
Gunners cement standing as real contenders
The transition was virtually full. Arsenal are determined to show they’re lastly prepared to finish Metropolis’s dominance by profitable their first Premier League title since 2004, and what higher means to do this than beat Metropolis in their very own yard?
The Gunners — like most groups, in equity — have a horrible away file in opposition to Metropolis, their most up-to-date win on this fixture coming in January 2015. It created an inferiority advanced that has proved tough to shake.
In that context, final season’s 0-0 draw was a big step ahead in proving themselves Metropolis’s equals. On Sunday, they have been seconds away from going even additional and securing a press release victory that may have fuelled Arsenal’s self-belief that they might turn out to be champions — just for Stones to grab that feeling away with virtually the final kick of the sport.
Arteta made some shocking calls, handing Calafiori his Premier League debut and switching Timber to right-back on the expense of Ben White, who the supervisor later confirmed was carrying an harm. Some criticised Arteta’s defensive method in securing that 0-0 final season, and following Trossard’s pink card, he surrendered any intention of making an attempt to assault given the numerical drawback his staff confronted for 45 minutes. White got here on for Saka and Arsenal successfully went 5-4-0 in formation.
Stones’ objective leaves a bitter style for Arteta, however he’ll take immense satisfaction from the way in which his staff defended all through the second interval — dealing with 20 photographs to none of their very own — particularly on the finish of a protracted week that started with victory at Spurs and continued with a Thursday evening Champions League stalemate at Atalanta. The watch for a win at Metropolis goes on, however Guardiola is aware of he has a severe contender sitting shut in his rearview mirror. — Olley
Pep had few solutions as Arsenal pissed off the champs
Pep Guardiola should have felt as if he was in a recurring nightmare whereas watching his Manchester Metropolis attempt to break down Arsenal within the second half. Arsenal, lowered to 10 gamers by the Forty fifth-minute sending off of Trossard, spent nearly your complete second half with a defensive low block of 5 defenders and 4 midfielders, typically lower than 2 yards aside, repelling Metropolis assaults on the sting of their penalty space.
Holding out for 45 minutes in opposition to such a fearsome attacking facet as Metropolis could have appeared like an unimaginable process for Arsenal, however they virtually pulled it off, and Guardiola was as a lot guilty as his gamers for Metropolis’s struggles in making a breakthrough earlier than Stones’ equaliser.
Seasoned Guardiola watchers will bear in mind two epic Champions League exits on the Camp Nou when his Barcelona staff failed to beat two sides — Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan in 2010 and a Roberto Di Matteo-led Chelsea in 2012 — who each spent your complete second halves smothering the ball and defending on the sting of their penalty space. It occurred once more on Sunday on the Etihad, and Guardiola didn’t make key modifications when it was apparent that his staff have been struggling to attain.
Metropolis’s tactic boiled all the way down to defenders Walker, Rúben Dias and Manuel Akanji taking bold photographs from the skin of the field, and it was so apparent that Guardiola needed to do one thing. He waited till the seventieth minute, although, earlier than making a change — Phil Foden for Doku — and one other eight minutes earlier than throwing Stones and Jack Grealish into the fray.
The modifications made little distinction till Stones struck, however Guardiola ought to have shaken it up earlier. He did not want two centre-halves on the pitch in opposition to an Arsenal facet with no striker, and he took too lengthy to introduce Grealish.
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On this event, Metropolis and Guardiola bought away with it, however Arsenal have been so near irritating the champions and claiming an unimaginable victory. — Ogden
Cracks seem in Rodri-less Metropolis
If there was anybody nonetheless unsure as to Rodri’s significance to Manchester Metropolis, the midfielder’s first-half injury, which forced him out of the game, underlined simply why he’s arguably the one participant Guardiola cannot be with out.
Rodri appeared to endure a knee harm in a seemingly innocuous collision with Thomas Partey on 20 minutes. He underwent prolonged remedy on the pitch earlier than being changed by Mateo Kovacic when it grew to become clear the Spain midfielder could not proceed.
With out Rodri, Metropolis lack the glue that holds the staff collectively. He’s the world’s finest defensive midfielder, however he has extra to his recreation than that, and his creativity is what makes him so essential to the staff.
Metropolis have not misplaced a Premier League recreation with Rodri within the facet since a defeat in opposition to Tottenham in 2023, a run that now extends to 52 video games.
When he was sidelined due to suspension early final season, Metropolis misplaced back-to-back league video games in opposition to Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, so if Rodri is dealing with a spell on the sidelines together with his harm, will probably be fascinating to see how Metropolis cope. They virtually misplaced in opposition to Arsenal, however for Stones’ late equaliser, so the cracks within the staff with out Rodri are already displaying. — Ogden
