Arsenal tried every trick in the book and still couldn’t topple Man City – Mikel Arteta needs to cherish that point

ELITE shot is simply a war-game that begins with the manager and ends with the referee’s last whistle.

Under-fire Arsenal, a antheral short, played the warfare crippled and yet shared the points with champions Manchester City connected Sunday.

They person been accused of “dark arts” by crudely wasting time, but it seems a immense bulk of teams usage akin tactics successful the circumstances.

Mikel Arteta is an exceptional manager, truthful suggestions that helium deployed a rookie subordinate to archer goalkeeper David Raya to feign wounded was unworthy of him.

The mediocre young pro who was seemingly sent to present the connection to Raya was rewarded with a yellowish paper for unsporting behaviour, this earlier helium had played a azygous infinitesimal of nonrecreational football.

But nary substance the tactics, unsporting oregon otherwise, his players did what they were told and were ruthless successful trying to clasp their 2-1 lead.

Yet successful a mode their steely defence confirmed however hard it is to flooded the people of the four-in-row champions.

Just arsenic good Sunday’s 107min 17sec marathon was competently refereed by Michael Oliver.

Not truthful casual successful a lucifer of colliding bodies, fierce tackles and endless delays.

Oddly this stirring 2-2 gully was fascinating.

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I americium rather definite Pep Guardiola would not person been arsenic fractious arsenic his erstwhile adjunct but arsenic the saying goes “needs indispensable arsenic the devil drives”.

One oregon 2 Arsenal players mightiness person been tempted to interruption ranks.

At half-time Arteta acceptable the tactics to springiness the Gunners a accidental to triumph — and his players did arsenic they were told.

Like each manager, Arteta is THE BOSS.

No prizes for guessing the orders the Spaniard gave to his men: simply, enactment backmost and halt them.

Pushing, wrestling, body-checking, time-wasting are disfigured but commonplace and they inactive beryllium contempt galore crackdowns.

Managers thin to crook a unsighted oculus to astir fouls unless a punishment results oregon an offender is sent off.

In first-half injury-time, Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard saw reddish for kicking the shot distant and receiving his 2nd booking.

No uncertainty Arteta was furious — not slightest due to the fact that Declan Rice committed the aforesaid silliness earlier this period and missed a match.

Managers thin to beryllium applicable and Arteta knew each excessively good however City predominate opponents of the highest class.

With his weakened team, helium ordered impassible non-stop defence, last-minute blocked shots, beardown tackles, musculus successful the six-yard container and decisive heading.

No mode were his men going to chuck distant their lead, defending it arsenic if it were the Siege of the Etihad, bloody but unbeaten.

All of this to win successful moving down the timepiece and defy City by immoderate mode ineligible oregon adjacent to it.

They did this with a lock-tight defence, holding disconnected 1 of the world’s champion teams until John Stones yet equalised heavy into added time.

Yet Arteta should cherish the point. Players are vastly paid and often spoiled but present was an illustration of defiance that is arsenic overmuch to beryllium admired arsenic challenged.

Yes, Arsenal’s time-wasting was epic. They utilized each instrumentality successful the publication but, connected balance, 2 mislaid league points for City was a tiny triumph for their closest rivals.