Manchester City v Arsenal LIVE: Result and final score as John Stones breaks defiant 10-man Gunners
Folllow all the action from the Etihad Stadium as Arsenal travel to title rivals Manchester City for a crunch clash in the Premier League
Manchester City and Arsenal shared a furious and dramatic 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium after John Stones’ 98th minute equaliser.
City took the lead when Erling Haaland struck early in the game and the champions looked in full control. But the game unravelled for Pep Guardiola’s side, first when Rodri came off injured on 20 minutes, and then when Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori swept home a stunning equaliser.
Gabriel then rose to power home a head and give Arsenal a 2-1 lead heading into half-time, but moments before the break the Gunners were reduced to 10 men in unusual circumstances when Leandro Trossard first clattered into City’s Bernardo Silva and then kicked the ball away in frustration.
City spent the entire second half attacking and left it very, very late to finally get the goal that denied 10-man Arsenal a huge victory.
Follow all the reaction from Manchester City v Arsenal in the live blog below.
Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City clash with Arsenal is not title decider
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is not viewing Sunday’s clash with Arsenal as the chance to lay down an early marker in the title race.
The champions have the chance to open up a five-point lead over the Gunners, their closest challengers in the past two seasons, with victory in their Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium.
Yet Guardiola feels it is too soon to be drawing any long-term conclusions from the game and is more concerned about setting the tone for City’s campaign.
Man City, Arsenal and the key change to modern-day Premier League title fights
Fresh from a midweek 0-0 draw apiece comes a clash of two clubs whose last meeting finished goalless. It wasn’t always the case when Manchester City faced Arsenal. The problem for the Londoners, however, was that Pep Guardiola’s team scored the vast majority of the goals. Two seasons ago, matches that shaped the title race finished 3-0 and 4-1 to City. Last season, however, matches billed as title deciders ended 1-0 to Arsenal and 0-0. City nevertheless retained their crown.
But if Jurgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool leaves Mikel Arteta entrenched as Guardiola’s biggest remaining rival, there may have been a transformation in the showpiece occasions. They have been stripped of some of the excitement. Klopp’s duel with Guardiola was compelling in part because it contained so many goals: they were more likely to draw 2-2 than 0-0 and spectacular scorelines included 5-0, 4-0, 4-1, 4-3 and 3-2. Some came with Arteta by Guardiola’s side; now they are in neighbouring dugouts and opposing camps. Allies turned adversaries, the purists have started to show a puritanical streak.
Man City, Arsenal and the key change to modern-day Premier League title fights
Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta no longer focus on attack-first approaches when they meet
Man City vs Arsenal
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Man City against Arsenal, as the Gunners look to lay down an early marker in their title challenge.
While Man City will want to avoid any blip on their so-far flawless start to the season.
We will be bringing you all the build up, latest team news and live coverage of the match.
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