Man City vs Arsenal: 13 flashpoints and how chaos unfurled in a tense title fight. Arsenal and Manchester City played out a spirited draw as both teams failed to convert leads. Erling aaland, Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel, and John Stones all scored.
Manchester City and Arsenal have been the Premier League's best sides for the past two seasons. Their encounters have felt like massive fights in the quest to determine who would win the country's top division, but they have not always provided the pleasure that some would expect given the caliber of players on exhibit. Sunday's match may not have featured a lot of free-flowing football, but it did provide entertainment and drama befitting of the game, similar to previous Manchester United-Arsenal rivalry games.
When Rodri hit the floor in the first seconds of the game, the stage was set for what was to come. The Spain star was left clutching his face after colliding with Kai Havertz, but no red card was issued.A violent start to the game followed, as Erling Haaland quickly opened the scoring. The City attacker scored his 100th goal for the club in 105 appearances, as well as his tenth of the season, outpacing Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes before finishing past David Raya.
Pep Guardiola's team did not have to wait long to suffer a setback. Rodri went down in the 16th minute, holding his leg, after being challenged by Thomas Partey. Once again, VAR ruled the situation unworthy of assistance, but Rodri was left in tears when he was eventually dragged off the field. When Mateo Kovacic replaced the 28-year-old, the game's momentum shifted dramatically.
Timeline of Drama 1 minute - Rodri falls to the ground and grabs his face after colliding with Havertz during kickoff. Players from both teams crowd the Spaniard, but no card is issued as VAR observes the event without intervening. 5 minutes - Haaland challenges William Saliba for an aerial ball. The Norwegian international continued to set the tone for the game as each player flew through the air. 9 minutes - Haaland scored his 100th Manchester City goal, giving his team the lead and allaying any doubts that he couldn't score against Saliba and Gabriel.
16 minutes - Rodri is injured after being challenged by Partey. The midfielder, who had been a major element of City's control up to this point, was forced off in his first Premier League start of the season. 22 minutes - Riccardo Calafiori scores a thunderbolt on his Premier League full debut, prompting a protest from Manchester City after Arsenal took a free kick in the buildup. Ederson was issued a yellow card.
34 minutes - Trossard receives his first yellow card for a cynical foul. 45+1 minutes - Gabriel scored his second header in a week after Martinelli was cleared of fouling Ederson. Ruben Dias is shown yellow after asking a foul be called. 45+8 minutes - Leandro Trossard is sent off after receiving a second yellow card. 65 minutes - Lewis-Skelly receives a yellow card for speaking to the referee despite having yet to appear in the Premier League.
83 minutes - Declan Rice receives a yellow card for delaying a restart before a throw-in. 91 minutes - Timber is down, and Oliver encourages Arsenal to kick the ball out. Despite Raya's kick upfield being kept in by City, the referee eventually blows up, expressing his fury.98 minutes - John Stones scores City's equaliser, and Haaland throws the ball off an Arsenal player in celebration. 99 minutes - Play is halted when Haaland collides with Myles Lewis-Skelly as the Arsenal player attempts to impede his run from the restart. Haaland then squares up with Gabriel.
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