It was sheer madness at Etihad as two juggernauts of the Premier League fought out a prolonged battle of grit which eventually ended in a 2-2 draw. Manchester City and Arsenal were pitted against each other in a ferocious war and at the end of it all, it finished in a stalemate after an explosive battle. With this draw, Manchester City dropped a couple of points for sure but they still leapfrogged Liverpool to bag the ace in the points table.
In the 9th minute of the game, the hosts secured an early lead through their Norwegian marksman, Erling Haaland. An excellent cut in from Savinho teed up the City sharpshooter who went past Gabriel and William Saliba before firing one past the extended reach of David Raya. The Gunners returned the favor in just 10 minute as Riccardo Calafiori slammed home from an incredible delivery carved by Gabriel Martinelli.
In a much-talked about event, one of the key players of Arsenal, Leandro Trossard got booked for the first time in the 34th minute when he yanked Savinho down from the back with both hands. Minutes later, the visitors overturned the earlier deficit into a slender lead for themselves with Gabriel Magalhaes spearing one into the right corner after being squared off by Bukayo Saka.
However, there was still ample drama remaining in the first half itself. Trossard, who was already in the books of the referee, was shown a second yellow just at the stroke of the half time when he charged into Bernardo Silva. The referee had no hesitation in booking him, which also resulted in his marching orders.
Playing with 10 men, the Gunners put up a show to remember as Raya coupled with his defenders, didn’t let the Cityzens pass until the last minute of the game. John Stones who was fortunate to find himself into an area after a ricochet off Jakub Kiwior, made no mistake in pushing the ball into an empty note, sending the home fans into a frenzy of raptures.
Erling Haaland got involved in a scuffle with Gabriel
At the end of what was a blockbuster contest, after John Stones poked the ball into the back of the net, while Manchester City was busy celebrating their late equalizer, Erling Haaland picked up the ball and threw it at the back of the head of Gabriel. Gabriel, who had his face covered with his jersey in disappointment, had no idea what was coming to him.
Already frustrated with their late concession, this incident triggered an immediate brawl between the two sides. The entire span of the contest was nothing short of a high-voltage drama.
Earlier in the game when Riccardo Calafiori equalized for Arsenal, Manchester City and Pep Guardiola were furious at the entire sequence of play back then. But then as they say that clashes like these are what defines the quality of a top league, the entire contest was a blazing testimony to the top teams of England jousting for supremacy till their last breath.