Manchester City v Arsenal LIVE: Result and final score as John Stones breaks defiant 10-man Gunners | OneFootball

John Stones celebrates after firing home Manchester City’s equaliser (AP)

Manchester City and Arsenal shared a furious and dramatic 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium after John Stones’ 98th minute equaliser.

City took the lead when Erling Haaland struck early in the game and the champions looked in full control. But the game unravelled for Pep Guardiola’s side, first when Rodri came off injured on 20 minutes, and then when Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori swept home a stunning equaliser.

Gabriel then rose to power home a head and give Arsenal a 2-1 lead heading into half-time, but moments before the break the Gunners were reduced to 10 men in unusual circumstances when Leandro Trossard first clattered into City’s Bernardo Silva and then kicked the ball away in frustration.

City spent the entire second half attacking and left it very, very late to finally get the goal that denied 10-man Arsenal a huge victory.

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Kyle Walker frustrated by Arsenal equaliser

City captain Kyle Walker was frustrated about the Arsenal equaliser, having been left out of position after being called for a chat by referee Michael Oliver.

He told Radio 5 Live: “I’m not ever going to come on national TV, national radio and start slagging people off because there’s enough of that going on around in the world.

“What I’m saying is I’ve not gone over to the referee. Me and Bukayo (Saka) have not gone over to the referee - he’s called us over. So if I’m being called over to the referee, he then should wait and allow me to get back in position before the ball is then gone over my head.

“So if I go over to the referee by my own accord and I’m out of position, it’s my fault. But I’m in position, he’s called the two captains obviously to calm the players down. I’m walking back saying ‘Lads, concentrate, nothing stupid, make sure we get through this.’ The ball is then going over my head.

“Me and Mike have a very good relationship and I think he has a very hard job, especially at the top level. So that’s not me being critical of him. I know he has a hard enough job, he’s got 22 angry players screaming at him continuously.

“If he calls me over, if I go over of my own accord, fair enough. But for him to call both captains over and then not let me get back in position. If I was a goalkeeper, does he let me get back in my net? Of course. I’m a defender, I’m the first line of defence he should let me get back in and be set and then blow the whistle.”

Arsenal’s 10-man masterclass didn’t beat Manchester City – but it might have changed the title race

It was the last kick of a ball by a Manchester City player, John Stones latching on to the rebound after Jakub Kiwior had flung himself into the path of Mateo Kovacic’s shot, just beating the heroic David Raya. Arsenal were seconds away from a statement win, from a seismic victory. Instead, a 98th-minute goal extended City’s unbeaten run at home to 48 games. Their gap to Arsenal remained at two points. After extraordinary drama, nothing changed. And yet, at various points, in different ways, it felt as though everything had.

As Arsenal’s previous trip to the Etihad Stadium brought a 0-0 draw, the scoreline may not suggest they produced a defensive masterclass. Yet they did: a magnificent rearguard action almost brought the ultimate reward, in the sort of result that would reshape a season. As it was, they channelled the spirit of George Graham’s sides in an epic display of obduracy, only to receive a reminder that even when City feel uninspired – and perhaps because Arsenal made them look uninspired – they still had not killed them off.

Arsenal’s 10-man masterclass didn’t beat City – but it did change the title race

Manchester City 2-2 Arsenal: An enthralling, fiercely competitive game was drawn after John Stones’ late goal ended the 10-man Gunners’ stubborn resistance

Sonia Twigg22 September 2024 19:36