Arsenal cruelly denied famous Man City win after 10-men concede in last minute - 6 talking points
MANCHESTER CITY 2-2 ARSENAL: Arsenal weren't quite able to hold on for a famous three points at Manchester City after Leandro Trossard's first-half red card at the Etihad
by Tom Victor · The MirrorArsenal's 10 men conceded a painful last-gasp equaliser from John Stones afer Leandro Trossard was controversially sent off against Manchester City
City were in front with less than nine minutes on the clock as Erling Haaland raced through and prodded the ball beyond David Raya. Ilkay Gundogan came close to a second from a free-kick, but Arsenal found a response as Riccardo Calafiori curled home on his first Gunners start, with City complaints over the goal waved away.
In between those moments, Rodri was forced off injured for City. Pep Guardiola's side were already without Kevin De Bruyne, and the second injury will surely worry their manager.
The shape of the game turned seconds before half-time, though, with Trossard's second booking prompting Arsenal to sit deep and defend. They made it through several minutes of stoppage time, only for Stones to punish them right at the death.
The first half was frantic, with both teams going for it early on. As soon as it became 11 vs 10, though, most of the action was at one end of the pitch.
City peppered the Arsenal goal with shots in the second half, with captain Kyle Walker and fellow defender Josko Gvardiol forcing Raya into action. The visitors sat deeper and deeper in the closing stages, with the likes of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish introduced for City, but Stones was their unlikely saviour.
The result would have een Arsenal's first league win at the Etihad Stadium since 2015, and could have taken them top of the league. Here are Mirror Football's talking points from an eventful game between two of the Premier League's biggest hitters.
1. History repeats itself for Arsenal
Just two weeks after seeing Declan Rice shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away, Leandro Trossard was dismissed for the exact same thing. What's more, the offence came just seconds before the half-time whistle when Arsenal could have gone in with a lead and a chance to regroup for 11 vs 11 after the break.
Did Leandro Trossard deserve to be sent off? Have your say in the comments section
The Premier League Match Centre account reported that the booking was for delaying the restart, rather than the foul from Trossard seconds earlier Arsenal will point to the fact that Jeremy Doku escaped a booking for arguably delaying a restart, as was the case with Joao Pedro a little while before Rice saw red against Brighton.
Some Gunnars fans also brought up Mateo Kovacic escaping a second booking in the corresponding game last season following a foul on Martin Odegaard. Even without the late leveller, this was always likely to attract plenty of debate.
2. Hundred up for Haaland
Last season, it wasnt until the end of October that Erling Haaland reached double figures in the Premier League in his 10th outing of the season. This time, it's taken him just five games.
As soon as the Norwegian found a gap between William Saliba and Gabriel, Arsenal knew they were in trouble, David Raya wasn't able to close the angle quickly enough, and that was that.
That goal made it 100 goals in just 105 appearances for Haaland as a Manchester City player. It was also a 73rd Premier League goal in 70 outings - by contrast, Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus went into the game with the same number of goals from 214 appearances in the competition.
3. Calafiori makes his mark
Mikel Arteta made a big call introducing Riccardo Calafiori for this game, with the Italian starting a Premier League match for the first time. There were questions over the Italian's part in City's opener, with Savinho arguably finding space too easily, but that was quickly forgotten when he found the equaliser.
Calafiori had scored just four times across a century of appearances for club and country. However, he looked assured as he picked out the top corner from 25 yards at the perfect time for the visitors.
City weren't happy with the goal, claiming a free-kick was taken from the wrong place in the lead-up. Calafiori won't have minded, though, after opening his account in style.
4. Rodri playing the villain but leaves in pain
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has never been afraid to wind up Arsenal, be that their players or their fans, and today was no exception. The Spaniard scored a devastating last-minute winner when the teams met in January 2022, while he aimed a pointed dig at the London side after last season's finale.
This time, it was his reaction to a Kai Havertz challenge which brought some early fire to the game. There were just seconds on the clock when the Spaniard went to ground, but Havertz escaped punishment to leave a few hot Arsenal heads as the only real upshot.
If the Spanish international had plans to wind up the opposition any further, they were scuppered just 20 minutes in. He went down in the Arsenal area at a corner, but it quickly became clear it was a serious injury rather than a foul and his afternoon was over.
5. Gabriel's redemption
Like Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhaes might feel he could have done better for City's opener. The Brazilian couldn't get close enough to Haaland and was forced to watch in vain as Raya failed to bail him out.
He didn't let that put him off his game, though - at least not at the other end of the field. There was a warning shot for City when he arrived late to head over from close range, but made no mistake the next time he had a sight of goal.
After the break, it was back to his more recognised role as Arsenal sought to protect their narrow lead. And he came ever so close.
6. Arteta's bold Saka call almost rewarded
Mikel Arteta appeared detertmined to shut up shop for the second half, bringing on Ben White and going to five at the back. Bukayo Saka was the player to make way, with some fans querying the move on social media.
The hope may well have been for Gabriel Martinelli's pace to be an outlet. Kyle Walker largely marshalled him well, though, limiting any kind of out ball for the away side.
With seconds left to play, it looked as though the gamble would pay off. It wasn't to be, though, thanks to Stones' late intervention.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky Sports deal
Sky Sports launches 'lowest price' Premier League package
£43 (was £52)
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £216 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
With Ultra HD included at no extra cost, football fans can enjoy the 2024/25 season with crystal clear picture quality.