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Manchester, UK | ARSENAL.COM | 10-man Arsenal came within a minute of claiming their first win at the Etihad Stadium since 2015 but a late John Stones equaliser saw us have to settle for a point after an incredible performance.
A crazy opening 45 minutes saw Erling Haaland hand the hosts a ninth-minute lead, but we fought back and after a rocket from Riccardo Calafiori on his full debut drew us level, before Gabriel once again headed in a corner to get us in front.
However in the final second of the half Leandro Trossard was controversially dismissed for a second bookable offence for delaying the restart, leaving us to battle with 10 men for 45 minutes.
Despite relentless pressure, we held firm for all of those and six of the seven added on at the end of the half, but John Stones scrambled home an equaliser to deny us a famous win.
Goals at either end
An early warning sign saw Ilkay Gundogan spin past Gabriel to set himself up for a volley which he shanked well wide, but in the ninth minute we fell behind.
Savinho skipped past Calafiori, broke infield and slipped a pass behind our backline for Haaland to run onto, and he bore down on goal before nudging the ball past David Raya to hit double figures in just five league games.
We were under the cosh in the early stages and Gundogan when wrapped a free-kick against the post as City attempted to find a second, but they were dealt a blow when Rodri was forced off with a knee injury after an innocuous coming together with Thomas Partey on 20 minutes.
And we swiftly capitalised as when play resumed, a quickly-taken free-kick from Partey caught City napping. Gabriel Martinelli was able to get to the edge of the box and lay the ball back to Calafiori, who bent a delicious shot into the top corner from 20 yards out that left Ederson clutching thin air.
Gabi comes to the fore
That saw the contest become more of an even affair, and towards the end of it two big chances came our way. Firstly, captain for the day Bukayo Saka whipped a corner into the box, and Gabriel got on the end of it, but unlike at Tottenham a week ago, he couldn’t quite steer his effort on target.
Then the Brazilian defender linked up with compatriot Martinelli down the left flank and the winger cut the ball back into a dangerous area inside the box, but under pressure from a City defender Trossard diverted it over the crossbar.
And the pressure told in first-half stoppage time when this time Big Gabi got his goal in an almost identical fashion. Saka sent another devilish corner into the area, and for the second week in a row our defender rose highest to knock it into the net and turn the game on its head.
Backs against the wall
But just before half-time, the game took another twist. Having been booked beforehand, Trossard challenged Bernardo Silva and cleared the ball away, a fraction after Michael Oliver had blown his whistle. The official harshly saw it as time-wasting, sending the Belgian off and ensuring we would have to try and defend our lead a man shy for 45 minutes.
As to be expected, the second half began with an onslaught on our goal. Mateo Kovacic, Manuel Akanji and Kyle Walker all tested their luck from range but to no avail, and David Raya did well to flick away a Haaland downward header, with Bernardo Silva hooking the loose ball over.
But a red wall was sitting deep and holding firm, continuing to restrict Pep Guardiola’s team to long-range efforts as the minutes ticked by. Josko Gvardial was next to try his luck, twice forcing Raya to beat the ball away from danger with a pair of powerful blasts.
Late Blow
Bodies continued to be put on the line as our players threw everything at City’s shots and ran themselves into the ground trying to keep them at bay, with Myles Lewis-Skelly entering the fray for his Gunners debut at the start of seven minutes of stoppage time.
But in the final minute of those, City finally found a way through. A corner saw Jack Grealish send the ball low into the box, and a clearance ricocheted into the path of Stones who slammed the ball in to deny us the win, but that couldn’t take away from the incredible display that saw us keep our unbeaten record intact.
What’s next
We switch our attention to the Carabao Cup on Wednesday when Bolton Wanderers arrive for the first of four successive fixtures at Emirates Stadium. Leicester City follow them up on Saturday, before the Champions League returns to N5 with the visit of Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, October 1.
