Arsenal came close to inflicting Manchester City’s first home defeat in two years, but the Gunners were caught at the last minute by the Mancunians (2-2) on Sunday, September 22, in an explosive clash marked by numerous incidents of play.
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This time, Manchester City had a close call. At the end of a much more lively clash than those of past seasons, the Mancunians snatched a draw against Arsenal at the very last second (2-2) after coming up against Londoners reduced to ten men in the second half. We have to go there to prove that we have progressed again, that we can compete on an equal footing. ” announced Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta before the match.
The Gunners went into this clash against City – four-time reigning champions and undisputed kings of the Premier League – with the best defence in England (only one goal conceded and three clean sheets since the start of the season) thanks to their formidable central hinge. But as is often the case at the Etihad Stadium, the nets did not take long to shake.
After starting the hostilities by elbowing Saliba on an aerial ball (4th), Haaland made short work of Gabriel on a deep pass from Savinho before adjusting perfectly to David Raya to open the scoring (8th, 1-0). The Norwegian giant also scored his 100th goal in all competitions with Manchester City, already his 10th this season in just five games played in the English Championship.
Overwhelmed and without a solution at the start of the match, the Gunners were hit hard by the pressure and intensity put in by their opponents. The Mancunians’ momentum was then cut short by the injury of Rodri, who collapsed on the pitch holding his knee. In the process, Arsenal finally got their match underway by equalising thanks to a superb curled ball from their new recruit Riccardo Calafiori (22nd, 1-1).
It took Gabriel two attempts to stun the Cityzens but after a first header off target (38th), the Brazilian emerged from a corner to propel the ball from close range into Ederson’s goal (45th + 1, 1-2). But the Gunners’ joy was short-lived following the red card received by Leandro Trossard (45th + 8).
Gunners very close to the feat
With a numerical superiority, the Mancunians logically launched the siege on the Gunners’ goal, forced to demonstrate all their defensive science during the last 45 minutes. But the London lock held despite the attempts on target from Haaland (48th, 59th), Walker (58th) or Gvardiol (62nd) who all came up against an imperial David Raya in the Arsenal goal.
Pep Guardiola tried everything to snatch the equalizer, but even the entries of Foden (70th) and Grealish (78th) did not allow City to find the flaw in the wall erected by the Arsenal players. Neutralized and more and more frustrated as the minutes went by, the Cityzens hardly worried their opponents at the end of the match, except for a powerful volley from Gvardiol once again well repelled by Raya (87th), author of seven saves during the match.
The entry of striker Gabriel Jesus, remarkable in defensive work and ball retention, greatly relieved Arsenal. But after resisting ten men for almost an hour, the Gunners let the victory slip away at the very last second with Stones’ equalizer (90th + 8, 2-2). A cruel scenario for Arsenal, very close to inflicting on City its very first home defeat since the arrival of Brentford (1-2) in November 2022. A real eternity for an unbeaten record.
With this miraculous result, City regains the top of the table and remains two points ahead of Arsenal, who will have to fight harder than ever this season to finally win this arm wrestling match that has lasted three years in England. But Guardiola had already put the result into perspective beforehand: ” As for the ranking, it’s not really important. It will be when we go to London in the second half of the season. “.