John Stones snatched a last-gasp equaliser as Premier League title rivals Manchester City and 10-man Arsenal drew 2-2 in a thrilling, fiery clash at the Etihad Stadium.
The Gunners looked all set to claim a statement win on Sunday, until City substitute Stones finished from point-blank range deep into second-half stoppage time.
Erling Haaland’s 100th City goal handed the hosts a deserved advantage early on, only for Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes to give the Gunners a half-time lead, albeit one that was soured by Leandro Trossard’s dismissal just before the break.
Manchester City striker reaches century of goals in just his 105th match, the joint-fewest appearances for a single club
For the majority of the second half, it looked as though City would not be able to make their numerical advantage count, with David Raya on top form in Arsenal’s goal.
Yet Raya was beaten when Stones latched onto a rebound six yards out, with City claiming a potentially vital point that sent them back to the summit, while Arsenal drop to fourth.
Haaland needed just nine minutes to net his landmark strike on his 105th City appearance, bursting through the Gunners defence and prodding brilliantly beyond Raya after Savinho’s neat turn and pass.
A serious-looking injury for Rodri gave City cause for concern, though, and Arsenal were level less than a minute later when Calafiori curled in a sensational left-footed effort.
Riccardo Calafiori
City were furious with referee Michael Oliver for allowing that goal to stand, though they could have few complaints as Gabriel put Arsenal in front, shrugging off Kyle Walker to head home Bukayo Saka’s corner.
It was Arsenal’s turn to air their frustrations with the official when Trossard received his second booking for kicking the ball away after a foul had been called on the cusp of half-time, though City laboured after the interval, with Haaland and Josko Gvardiol coming closest to beating Raya.
That was until the 98th minute, when City’s pressure finally told – Mateo Kovacic’s strike deflecting into the path of Stones, who sent the home crowd into raptures.
City overcome Rodri blow… just about
Much has been made for City’s ability to operate without Rodri within their ranks, having lost four of the nine matches in all competitions without their star midfielder last season, while only being defeated once in the 50 matches he featured in.
After being welcomed into the heavyweight clash with a body blow from Kai Havertz in the opening seconds, Rodri – making his first league start of the season – was forced to withdraw after a tangle in the box with Thomas Partey that saw the Spaniard worryingly clutch his right knee.
City’s frustration was further compounded when Calafiori’s long-range stunner levelled the scores, though they were complaints from the hosts, most notably from Walker, with Arsenal having taken a free-kick quickly with the England full-back out of position after he was called over to speak to referee Oliver.
While Trossard’s red card offered the hosts a way back into the match, City’s slick attacking football was met with Arsenal’s stern defensive rearguard, only for the kind of goal to not usually be associated with a Guardiola team to prove decisive.
Stones’ leveller was anything but pretty, but it could prove pivotal even at this early stage of the campaign.
So close, but so far
Having shown glimpses of their attacking talents in the first half, it was Arsenal’s defensive resolve that shone through in a second, and it almost saw them withstand an endless wave of City pressure.
The Gunners were camped in their own half after the break – and mostly in their own box – but their solid backline, which conceded the fewest goals in the division last season, restricted City to efforts from distance for the majority.
After his penalty heroics in the Champions League against Atalanta in midweek, Raya again proved his weight in gold for Mikel Arteta, producing a number of fine saves, denying Walker, Haaland and Gvardiol, while Bernardo Silva hammered over from a rebound.
Arsenal’s attempts to slow down proceedings with some of their players going down with cramp late on ultimately ended up coming back to bite them, though, in a long period of added time. The dark arts just were not enough to get over the line.
Man City’s equaliser in the 98th minute was their latest goal scored on record (from 2006/07) in a Premier League match.
Erling Haaland became the first player in Premier League history to reach 10 goals in as few as five games from the start of a season in the competition.
Bukayo Saka became the second player in Premier League history to provide an assist in each of a team’s first five matches of a season, after Thierry Henry in 2004/05, who also did so for Arsenal.
Arsenal fell behind in a Premier League away fixture for the first time in 2024, with this their 12th such match on the road this year.
