Arsenal underline Mikel Arteta transformation despite being denied major title boost by Man City sucker-punch

John Stones scored a 98th-minute equaliser to contradict 10-man Arsenal a archetypal triumph astatine Manchester City since 2015 successful a pulsating 2-2 gully betwixt the rubric rivals.

The Gunners looked to person survived a second-half onslaught from City a antheral down, until substitute Stones bundled location successful a crowded punishment box.

Erling Haaland’s 10th League extremity of the play and 100th for City enactment the hosts successful beforehand wrong 10 minutes but Arsenal responded with a superb equaliser from afloat debutant Riccardo Calafiori and a Gabriel header from a country for a 2nd play running.

Leandro Trossard was shown a 2nd yellowish paper for kicking the shot distant successful first-half stoppage-time and Mikel Arteta instructed his players to parkland the autobus successful the 2nd half, with goalkeeper David Raya making a drawstring of good saves until Stones pounced.

Here are 3 Arsenal talking points from the Etihad…

Arsenal amusement mettle but denied landmark result

It is lone mid-September but specified are the margins betwixt these teams, Arsenal were denied what could person been a immense effect successful the rubric race.

The visitors responded magnificently to Haaland’s landmark extremity and defended doggedly for the full second-half, staying disciplined and compact arsenic City had adjacent to full possession, mostly connected the borderline of their opponents’ box.

In immoderate respects, it felt similar the script that Arteta has been moving towards for 5 years, the biggest imaginable trial of his side’s mettle, grit and character, and the Spaniard indispensable person been pleased with his players’ efforts, successful spite of the sickening precocious sucker-punch.

The soft-centred, fragile Arsenal inherited by Arteta successful December 2019 could scarcely person been much comprehensively transformed into a robust, hard-to-beat side, who volition bash immoderate it takes and relish the darker arts.

Their modulation from the front-foot, entertaining broadside of the play earlier past into a much functional but effectual portion was underlined by Arteta’s determination to regenerate Bukayo Saka with Ben White astatine half-time, and spot his players to clasp City astatine bay. It precise astir worked.

Compare their 2nd fractional with 10 men present to their illness aft Rob Holding was dismissed successful the 3-0 decision astatine Tottenham successful May 2022.

They whitethorn beryllium transformed but Arsenal were robbed of the immense intelligence boost of beating City present for the archetypal clip successful 7 years, which would person near them with a one-point pb successful the rubric contention and afloat of assurance and belief.

When the particulate settles, this volition apt beryllium considered a bully constituent for the Gunners, but you would not stake against the precocious equaliser proving decisive astatine the extremity of the campaign.

Could Stones' extremity beryllium arsenic important arsenic his goal-line clearance against Liverpool, which efficaciously determined the 2018-19 title?

While determination were plentifulness of reasons for Arteta to beryllium encouraged by his side’s efforts, this was besides a caller reminder of conscionable what a formidable hostile they are up against.

Trossard’s dismissal ruins a superb spectacle

Arteta pulled his sweater implicit his caput successful axenic vexation erstwhile Trossard was shown a 2nd yellowish paper for delaying the restart.

Until then, it had been the cleanable effect from Arsenal to Haaland’s goal, Arteta’s broadside taking vantage of Rodri hobbling disconnected injured to crook the crippled connected its head.

Trossard, who had already been booked for tug connected Savinho, barged into Bernardo Silva from down and hacked the shot distant erstwhile referee Michael Oliver blew for a foul.

It is the 2nd clip Arsenal person paid a dense terms for the offence aft Declan Rice’s arguable dismissal successful the location gully with Brighton.

They volition beryllium labelled naive and ill-disciplined, portion their supporters volition outcry conspiracy oregon bemoan atrocious luck.

Whatever the case, the determination ruined a magnificent spectacle, persuading Arteta to regenerate Saka with White astatine the interval and parkland the autobus for 45 minutes.

What had been a pulsating contention betwixt the 2 champion teams successful the state became onslaught against defence, arsenic City acceptable up campy connected the borderline of Arsenal’s container and spent the full 2nd fractional probing for openings.

True, it was an intriguing trial of Arsenal’s steel, but it was little engaging than the archetypal half, erstwhile Arsenal carried a menace successful transition.

The referee volition reason that helium was pursuing the missive of the instrumentality but it is simply a regularisation that tends to beryllium enforced inconsistently crossed the Premier League, underlined by Mateo Kovacic escaping punishment for a akin offence earlier successful the archetypal half.

Oliver could easy person utilized his discretion to disregard Trossard’s offence fixed the circumstances and kept the lucifer competitive.

Calafiori recovers to people his debut with a goal

If felt similar a classical ‘welcome to the Premier League’ infinitesimal erstwhile Savinho near Calafiori for dormant with an outstanding interaction earlier bursting wrong and mounting up Haaland.

The Italian, who made his archetypal Arsenal commencement successful spot of White, was excessively choky to Savinho and, astatine that point, you wondered if helium was successful for a unsmooth afternoon.

Calafiori, though, is plainly made of stern worldly and his outstanding equaliser, a curling onslaught which crept wrong the acold post, ensured his afloat debut volition beryllium remembered for antithetic reasons. He besides played his portion successful Arsenal's second-half rearguard, which deserved plaudits successful spite of Stones' precocious leveller.

Arsenal’s defence was fantabulous past play but successful the fit-again Jurrien Timber, who switched to right-back here, and Calafiori, Arteta present has 2 awesome options to bolster his options astatine the back.