By Samuel A. September 22, 2024
Manchester City looked like their home unbeaten record which has lasted since 2022 was coming to an end, just before John Stones scored a last gasp equaliser as Manchester City snatched a 2-2 draw against 10-man Arsenal to keep it going and extend the run. John Stones’ equalizer was City’s 28th and final attempt of an extraordinary second half, which was all about Manchester City, as Arsenal sat so deep, making it hard for the champions to penetrate.
City went straight onto the attack and took the lead after nine minutes, with Haaland latching onto Savinho’s neat through ball and prodding past David Raya.
Goals from Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes then cancelled out Erling Haaland’s 100th goal in a City shirt during a frantic opening 45 minutes at the Etihad Stadium, and City were specifically furious about the referee giving the first goal, because Walker was out of position after the referee called him to give some instructions. Arsenal capitalized on the fact that Walker was slightly out of position and immediately played Martinelli through, before the youngster passed to Calafiori, who scored an absolute beauty in his first start of the season.
The Gunners had Leandro Trossard dismissed for a second bookable offence in first half stoppage time, after he kicked the ball away, following his foul on Bernardo Silva.
City dominated the second half as they looked to capitalise on their numerical advantage, but it was not until the eighth minute of stoppage time that they found a way through the stubborn Arsenal defence, with Stones bundling home a dramatic equaliser. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after the match said: “It’s unbelievable what the players did. The way we played in the normal conditions were already super difficult, that’s why they haven’t lost here for 40-something games. Then the context of what was thrown against 10 men for 55/56 minutes. That tells you the story, that tells you the character of our players and I’m extremely proud of them. We went 2-1 up and then there were two very similar incidents, in particular one with a very different outcome [Trossard sent off] that forces you to play a game that nobody wanted to watch. I’m not talking about anything, I’m just saying what happened. I think it’s very obvious. I don’t need to talk about it”.
The defending champions play Newcastle next in the weekend at Tyneside, while the Gunners welcome Leicester, who have been incredibly immense this season.
