The Manchester City Vs Arsenal clash turned out to be a rollercoaster as the two Premier League giants lock horns at Etihad for the first time this season.
John Stones scored at the last touch of the game as Manchester City fought back to rescue a point against a hard-fighting 10-man Arsenal.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was undefeated in his two-legged tie against the Premier League Champions last season. However, he faced a tough test taking down a free-scoring City side with a perfect start to the campaign.
Erling Haaland gives City an early lead
Erling Haaland continued in his heroic performance for Manchester City. The Norwegian was making his 100th appearance for Manchester City and was on 99 goals.
Savinho pulled the trigger for the goal after he cut inside beating Calafiori before delivering a defence-piercing throughball to Erling Haaland. The Norwegian beat the offside trap waltzed through and fired a low shot into the bottom-right corner of the post.
It was his 100th goal in his 100th appearance for Manchester City. Five minutes after the goal, Manchester City came close to doubling the lead. Savinho nearly made it count after he curled a deadball on goal but it ricocheted against the woodwork. Meanwhile, David Raya had dived excellently to point it out but it had bounced off the bar for a goalkick.
Injury fears for Rodri
The game was halted for two minutes due to Rodri’s injury scare. The Spaniard awkwardly fell to the ground after trying to challenge for the ball against Thomas Partey. He was attended to by City’s medical team but couldn’t continue with the match. He limped off the field and was replaced by Matteo Kovacic.
Riccardo Calafiori with a stunning equalizer for Arsenal
Arsenal’s new signing from Bologna, Ricardo Calafiori, wouldn’t have asked for a more brilliant outing against City at Etihad. The Italy international came to Arsenal’s rescue in the 22nd minute with a wonder-goal.
The sublime strike came after Arsenal quickly caught out the hosts with a free-kick which was floated to Gabriel Martinelli at the byline. The Brazilian winger found an on-rushing Riccardo Calafiori at the edge of the box.
With an agility that defied expectation, the former Bologna defender fired a right-footed strike into the near post past Ederson. It was a brilliant effort by the 22-year-old.
City made frantic efforts to return to the lead but were denied by a series of spectacular saves by David Raya.
Gabriel Magalhaes scores
Arsenal surprisingly swung into the lead in the 46th minute against the run of play. Bukayo Saka had delivered an inswinging corner into the box. An unmarked Gabriel Magalhaes got over the back of Gvadiol and delivered a brilliant header into the top-right corner.
Ederson had no chance as the thumping header from the Brazilian defender rippled the back of the net to complete a dramatic first-half comeback for the Gunners.
Reactions as referee Micheal Oliver sent off Leandro Trossard
Gabriel Magalhaes’ header was just the tip of the iceberg in the dramatic ending to the first half.
At the last kick of the ball, Leandro saw his second yellow card in 19 minutes. The Belgian was previously booked in the 34th minute after he tracked down Savinho and kicked the ball away
In the 45+8th minute, he charged down at the back of Bernardo Silva during an aerial challenge. The referee, Michael Oliver, blew for a foul, but Trossard appeared to have kicked the ball away again, delaying the restart. The gesture prompted Oliver to issue another yellow card on the player, sending him away.
Trossard’s red card twisted the balance of the game and divided fans on whether Michael Oliver was right to make the call or not.
A user, Santi, accused Oliver of double standards by not sending off Kovacic for two wild tackles on Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice during last season’s encounter between the two sides. He wrote, “The same Michael Oliver refused to send Kovacic off last season because he didn’t want to ruin a game of that magnitude but sent off Trossard for kicking the ball away in the same fixture. You’ll crumble.”
Another user branded the referee’s decision as scandalous. He wrote, “Yes.
“Another scandalous call by Michael Oliver, giving Trossard a second yellow for contesting a duel in a very undangerous area of the pitch. VAR can’t intervene since it’s not a straight red. A first yellow might be fair, but a second for such a minor incident is outrageous..”
@Harry Symeu blamed the referee for not booking Jeremy Doku for a similar offence.
“Doku didn’t get booked for kicking it away earlier in the half when Arsenal had a free-kick but Trossard is shown a second yellow card. We can’t even get consistency within the same game. That’s the frustration,” he wrote.
Another user, Hj, insisted it was not a red card incident, adding Oliver’s decision was a disgrace.
“Yea the epl is finished that’s not a red card for trossard the referees are a disgrace, Michael Oliver always favors man city not a coincidence,” he wrote.
Was Leandro Trossard’s red card deserved?
It should be noted that Michael Oliver issued the red card due to Trossard’s decision to kick the ball away and delay play. This is part of new Premier League rules, which empower referees to penalize players for attempts to delay play or show dissent. While fans could be swayed by emotions on whether the call is appropriate or not, the referee’s discretion decides the fate of defaulting players during matches.
Manchester City Vs Arsenal: 10-man Arsenal struggles in the second half
Manchester City made the most out of the one-man advantage after Leandro Trossard was sent off. They dominated proceedings and concentrated play in Arsenal’s final third. David Raya was the hero for the Gunners. The Spaniard was forced to make a series of stunning and gallant saves to protect Arsenal’s narrow lead. The visitors also committed more bodies to the defence as the hosts continued to mount pressure.
Meanwhile, they suffered an injury blow under City’s seething pressure. Goal scorer Riccardo Calafiori was down with an apparent injury and was forced off with Jakub Kiwior coming on.
John Stones’ Last-minute strike rescue City
After a marathon of pressure, Manchester City finally found a breakthrough through substitute John Stones. Grealish and Gundogan had worked a short-corner routine, allowing Grealish to break into the Arsenal box. The England star then cut a pass to Kovacic.
Kovacic fired on goal from close range but his shot deflected off Jakub Kiwior. The rebound fell on a platter for Stones who converted it perfectly to tie the score at the death.
Arsenal 4th on Premier League table after draw
The draw has seen Arsenal drop to 4th position on the table with 11 points, two points behind Manchester City, who retained their top spot.
The Gunners will take on Leicester City at home in their next Premier League tie on Saturday, September 28, 2024, while Manchester United play Newcastle United at St James Park.
