Remarkably, Manchester City and Arsenal drew 2-2 in a heated contest that was abundant with suspense, physicality, and surprising turns in the Premier League. Early into the match, Erling Haaland’s 100th goal for Manchester City during his 105th appearance put the team in the lead. Not to be outdone, Arsenal came back from the brink featuring an awe-inspiring equaliser from Riccardo Calafiori, who was making his Arsenal debut. The goal was met with controversy as City claimed the ethics of a quickly taken free-kick in the build-up by Thomas Partey were questionable.
Adding to Arsenal’s rekindled hope, Gabriel Magalhães secured an advantaged position with a headed goal from a set-piece, a technique Arsenal has perfected. However, the match parameters underwent another dramatic shift in the seventh-minute of first-half stoppage time. Leandro Trossard, already flagged earlier in the game, got booked for a second time due to a foul against Bernardo Silva, followed by inappropriate behaviour when he cleared the ball brusquely.
This moment echoed Declan Rice, who was involved in a similar offence resulting in a booking in Arsenal’s 1-1 tie against Brighton in August. Despite the setback, Arsenal exhibited resilience and continued to pose a threat.
As the match progressed, it turned into a contest between City’s offence and Arsenal’s defence. Despite being one player short, Arsenal held firm. The team played defensively, rarely moving past the middle of the pitch but effectively managed to resist City’s attacks. The tactics included time-wasting and players simulating cramps. Predictably, the climax came when John Stones salvaged a draw for Manchester City against a 10-man Arsenal with a tardy equaliser.
Though it seemed for the longest time that England’s least robust defence would manage to keep their narrow lead secure, events in the final minutes proved otherwise. Try as they might, City, despite their impressive command of the field, could only muster up three major threats. Each time, David Raya successfully thwarted their attempts – including a header from Haaland and two powerful strikes from Josko Gvardiol.
But all was not over. The clock had just ticked into the added seven minutes when City’s substitutes, Jack Grealish and Mateo Kovacic, worked together from a short corner. Kovacic’s attempt was blocked, but fellow substitute John Stones was there to convert the rebound. His goal ensured City’s survival and set the stage for a fierce post-match discussion.
There had been an undercurrent of tension from the start; Kai Havertz’s challenge on Rodri immediately post kick-off demonstrated the stakes. City reacted fiercely; Ilkay Gündogan almost netted after receiving a pass from Silva, only to miss his volley. City quickly regained their footing, scoring an early goal that came as a surprise considering the timing but not the scorer.
The play that led to the goal started when Savinho received a pass from Kyle Walker, cleverly circumventing Calafiori. Seeing a rare gap between Gabriel and William Saliba, Savinho set Haaland up perfectly. With his body positioned rightly ahead of Gabriel, Haaland powered it home without hesitation.
City’s spirited display continued – Gündogan took a free-kick that narrowly missed Raya’s post two minutes later. And then came a surprising equaliser from Arsenal. As Rodri underwent yet another examination – this time after a collision with Partey, Arsenal seemed to pull a goal out of nowhere.
Emotions ran high as Arsenal was awarded a central free-kick. Referee Michael Oliver felt the need to call in the team captains, Kyle Walker and Bukayo Saka, urging them to cool tensions. Needless to say, that appeal went unheeded.
City was unprepared for Partey’s speedy free-kick which passed to Gabriel Martinelli along the inside left passage, leaving Walker in an unsuitable position. Even though the referee, Oliver, dismissed it, the aftermath was considerable. Martinelli relayed it back to Calafiori for an exemplary moment wherein the Italian player’s long-range curled shot found the upper far corner of the goal. This triggered fury from Guardiola and his team, who stood agitated on the side-line.
Significantly, Arsenal regained their composure alongside the changing momentum of the game. Despite Gabriel missing the goal even when noticeably unguarded on a corner kick, he managed to strike the net with a successful shot following a corner. The distinctive determination as he outran Walker seemed to outmatch any of the City defenders.
Surprisingly, there was more drama before half-time with Trossard’s expulsion. His initial misjudgement seemed to stem from what appeared to be his intentional blockage of Silva, which would have been rather unfair. However, the real issue was his unnecessary strong strike of the ball as Arsenal geared up to fend off the free-kick, a seemingly impulsive decision. Trossard, having received his first warning for holding back Savinho, did not wish to exit the pitch. It was a shocking scenario for Arsenal, particularly given that City’s Jérémy Doku had previously evaded a penalty for an identical offence.
While Arteta’s squad was rebuked for play-stopping techniques during the past season’s goalless game, they now had their tactics in place. As the second half began, Ben White stepped in for Saka, setting up a 5-4-0 formation with White acting as the right-sided centre-back and Jurrien Timber as his counterpart. City attempted to penetrate this defence but it seemed like they were out of strategic plays for an extended period. Arsenal’s defence appeared robust until they finally faltered and conceded a goal. – Guardian