John Stones scored a last-gasp equaliser as Premier League title rivals Manchester City and 10-man Arsenal drew 2-2 in a thrilling, fiery encounter at the Etihad Stadium.
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The Gunners looked all set to claim a statement win on Sunday, until City substitute Stones finished from point-blank range deep into second-half stoppage time.
Stones' last-minute equaliser
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Man City 2-2 Arsenal
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Man City 2-2 Arsenal
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Man City 2-2 Arsenal
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Man City 2-2 Arsenal
Man City 2-2 Arsenal
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Man City 2-2 Arsenal
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Man City 2-2 Arsenal
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Erling Haaland’s 100th City goal handed the hosts a deserved advantage early on, only for Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes to give the Gunners a half-time lead.
But Arsenal's Leandro Trossard was sent off in first-half stoppage time after receiving a second yellow card for kicking the ball away and delaying a restart.
For the majority of the second half, it looked as though City would not be able to make their numerical advantage count, with David Raya on top form in Arsenal’s goal.
Yet Raya was finally beaten when Stones latched onto a rebound six yards out, with City claiming a potentially vital point that sent them back to the top pf the table, while Arsenal are fourth.
How the match unfolded
Haaland needed just nine minutes to net his landmark strike on his 105th City appearance, bursting through the Gunners defence and prodding brilliantly beyond Raya after Savinho’s neat turn and pass.
A serious-looking injury for Rodri gave City cause for concern, though, and Arsenal were level less than a minute later when Calafiori curled in a sensational left-footed effort.
Gabriel then put Arsenal in front, shrugging off Kyle Walker to head home Bukayo Saka’s corner.
Trossard received his second booking for kicking the ball away after a foul, leading to Arsenal to take off Saka at half-time and play extra defensive after the break.
But Man City could find no way through, with Haaland and Josko Gvardiol coming closest to beating Raya.
That was until the 98th minute, when City’s pressure finally told – Mateo Kovacic’s strike deflecting into the path of Stones, who sent the home crowd into raptures.
City overcome Rodri blow… just about
Much has been made for City’s ability to operate without Rodri within their ranks, having lost four of the nine matches in all competitions without their star midfielder last season, while only being defeated once in the 50 matches he featured in.
After being welcomed into the heavyweight clash with a body blow from Kai Havertz in the opening seconds, Rodri – making his first league start of the season – was forced to withdraw after a tangle in the box with Thomas Partey that saw the Spaniard worryingly clutch his right knee.
City’s frustration was further compounded when Calafiori’s long-range stunner levelled the scores, though they were complaints from the hosts, most notably from Walker, with Arsenal having taken a free-kick quickly, and Walker claimed he was out of position after he was called over to speak to referee Michael Oliver.
While Trossard’s red card offered the hosts a way back into the match, City’s slick attacking football was met with Arsenal’s stern defensive rearguard, only for the kind of goal to not usually be associated with a Guardiola team to prove decisive.
Stones’ leveller was anything but pretty, but it could prove pivotal even at this early stage of the campaign.
So close, but so far for Arsenal
Having shown glimpses of their attacking talents in the first half, it was Arsenal’s defensive resolve that shone through in a second, and it almost saw them withstand an endless wave of City pressure.
The Gunners were camped in their own half after the break – and mostly in their own box – but their solid backline, which conceded the fewest goals in the division last season, restricted City to efforts from distance for the majority.
After his penalty heroics in the Champions League against Atalanta in midweek, Raya again proved his weight in gold for Mikel Arteta, producing a number of fine saves, denying Walker, Haaland and Gvardiol, while Bernardo Silva hammered over from a rebound.
Arsenal’s attempts to slow down proceedings late on ultimately ended up coming back to bite them, though, in a long period of added time. The dark arts just were not enough to get over the line.
Club reports
Man City report | Arsenal report
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What the managers said
Pep Guardiola: "10 against 11 is different. They defended so deep and we can cross but it’s not easy with White, Gabriel, Saliba. The space is not there in between and they defended really well. Maybe it would have been different with Rodri. It’s a good point for us. Congratulations to Arsenal for being so strong mentally to block for a long, long time. That’s not easy but we were patient. 99 points left, plenty left to happen."
Mikel Arteta: "I am so proud of the team. We played the game in a difficult context, playing against the best team in the world. It is already a miracle that we had played 56 minutes at the Etihad with 10-men [without conceding]. It is unbelievable what we have done."
Key facts
Man City’s equaliser in the 98th minute was their latest goal scored on record (from 2006/07) in a Premier League match.
Erling Haaland became the first player in Premier League history to reach 10 goals in as few as five games from the start of a season in the competition.
Bukayo Saka became the second player in Premier League history to provide an assist in each of a team's first five matches of a season, after Thierry Henry in 2004/05, who also did so for Arsenal.
Arsenal fell behind in a Premier League away fixture for the first time in 2024, with this their 12th such match on the road this year.
