It was certainly a very strange start to the game as just seconds after kick off we had a whistle from the ref and a VAR check to decide whether to send off Kai Havertz! If it was a tactic to unsettle Arsenal it worked, as just 2 minutes after the restart Haaland was unmarked and left through for an easy goal slotted past Raya. The worst possible start for Arsenal. The first 20 minutes was half spent with Man City players writhing on the floor, and one of them may have actually been injured! In fact Rodri did not look well when he was lead off the pitch. When the game finally got going again, City’s moaning backfired as they were still arguing with the ref after he gave us a free kick. We took it quivckly and Martinelli broke down the wing. He paased it to a sprinting Calafiori who wallopped it into the corner of the net from long range. What a great debut from the Italian. Of course City argued with the ref for 5 minutes until VAR confirmed the goal stood and it was all square again. Arsenal were back in the game and started piling on the pressure. Gabriel headed over the bar from a corner, but he didn’t make a mistake with the next one and suddenly we were in the lead. At the Etihad! But of course disaster struck when with literally seconds before the whistle for half time, Trossard crazily kicked the ball away right in front of the ref and gave him a second yellow. Arsenal went into the dressing room with 2-1 lead but faced the next 45 minutes with only ten men against Man City. At the Etihad! Arteta was fuming naturally. Arteta brought on Ben White for the second half and it looked like we were going for a back 5 to try and hold onto our lead, and we prepared to see Raya’s goal being peppered for the rest of the game. In the pouring rain. In the first 15 minutes the stats were crazy, with City making over 100 passes to Arsenal’s TWO, but Arsenal kept hanging in there, with Rays extremely busy indeed. Arsenal continued defending dourly and when we finally got a goal kick, all the players went off to have a long chat with Arteta on the touchline, and Myles-Skelly got booked without ever playing a game! Crazy game! We had to wait til 20 minutes before the end before we even got the ball into Man City’s half, but it didn’t last long. With 15 minutes to go, Man City seemed to be getting frustrated as they can’t find a way through Arsenal’s ten man defence, and are reduced to trying long shots from distance, with no luck at all. Arsenal got their second freekick of the half with 8 minutes to go, but only managed to waste anthercouple of minutes. The Arsenal fans are all down that end and went crazy as they haven’t their team in this half. Down the other end again, and Foden unleashed a shot but Raya was equal to it. Then Gabriel went down in the box and Arsenal are looking exhausted and everyone is lying on the ground asking to be subbed off,but City are getting more and more frustrated. Arsenal were given 7 minutes of added time to pull off the heist of the season. Arteta put Myles-Skelly on for his debut, and the defence (all 9 of them) held on like warriors, with Raya the star as usual… But of course disaster struck in the 97th minute with Stones poking in the equaliser and Haaland threw his toys out of the pram as usual.
#arsenal #mancity #premierleague #football #soccer #haaland #guardiola #arteta #havertz #debruyne #arsenalfc #epl #matchwinner #gamereaction #saka #odegaard #debruyne