MANCHESTER, England — John Stones’ 98th-minute equalizer salvaged a 2-2 draw for Manchester City on Sunday against an Arsenal team that had to play the entire second half with 10 men following Leandro Trossard’s controversial red card.

In a thrilling match at the Etihad Stadium between last season’s Premier League top two teams, Erling Haaland scored his 100th goal for City in just 105 appearances, putting the home side ahead in the ninth minute. The Gunners responded impressively, however, with Riccardo Calafiori crowning his league debut with a sublime left-footed shot before Gabriel Magalhães headed in Bukayo Saka’s corner in the 45th minute.

Trossard was sent off for a second yellow card for kicking the ball away following a foul on Bernardo Silva, a moment that drew a furious response from Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta. City spent the entire second half on the edge of Arsenal’s penalty area but looked set to lose a league game at home for the first time in almost two years before Stones headed the ball home from close range following a scramble in the box following a short corner. — James Olley

Arsenal’s indiscipline or refereeing inconsistency?

For the second time in three Premier League matches, Arsenal lost a player to a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.

While Declan Rice was penalised for a slight shove against Brighton & Hove Albion, Trossard was sent off here for kicking the ball wide after a foul on Silva just before half-time. Both decisions were technically correct, but both were also examples of time-wasting that often goes unpunished during matches – and often in the same matches. Joao Pedro escaped a reprimand for kicking the ball away in that game against Brighton, while Jérémy Doku delayed the restart of play in the first half in City’s favour without receiving a booking.

Whatever the inconsistencies in the application of this rule, Trossard’s red card is further evidence of the Gunners’ poor disciplinary record under Arteta. Since the Spaniard’s first game in charge in December 2019, Arsenal have had 17 players sent off in the Premier League, four more than any other team. — Olley

Gunners want to stand up to City

Arteta has brought more toughness to his Arsenal side this season, which was evident just five seconds after kick-off when Kai Havertz roughly body-knocked Rodri in the centre circle.

One of the criticisms of Arteta’s Gunners during their unsuccessful title challenges against City in recent years has been their lack of grit. They have plenty of talent, but was there something behind the smiles and joy of their young players?

This season, those smiles have given way to snarls, and Arteta’s side are beginning to develop the vicious side that permeated all of Arsene Wenger’s successful teams. Arsenal’s clashes with Manchester United, when the two sides won every Premier League title for nine years between 1996 and 2005, became legendary for the combativeness displayed by both sets of players.

Although City’s matches against Arsenal have not been nearly as intense as the rivalry between United and Arsenal, this game showed that tension is building. Havertz’s foul was one of several high-profile confrontations, including Trossard’s tackle on Silva, which earned him his second yellow card.

Gabriel spent the afternoon wrestling with Haaland, while Calafiori and Jurriën Timber provided additional reinforcements to Arsenal’s defence. If the Gunners fail to win the title again this season, it won’t be for a lack of fighting spirit. — Mark Ogden

City should have been prepared for Arsenal’s set pieces

Man City could not claim not to have been warned – in any sense. Just before Gabriel headed in Saka’s corner in the 45th minute, which threatened to be the winning goal – until Stones pounced at the last second – the Brazilian defender had a similar chance following another Saka pass, but headed it wide.

Gabriel’s threat should have been obvious – 14 of his 16 Premier League goals have come from corners, the highest rate of any player with 10 or more goals in Premier League history – and yet he evaded Doku too easily the first time and outmaneuvered Kyle Walker the second time. Gabriel also headed in a Saka corner to provide the game-winning moment in Arsenal’s north London derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur a week earlier.

The Gunners scored 22 goals from set pieces last season, the highest in the league, and the mastermind behind it all once wore the blue City shirt: Nicolas Jover left City in 2021 and joined Arsenal. — Olley

Gunners consolidate status as serious contenders

The transition was almost complete, with Arsenal desperate to prove they are finally ready to break City’s dominance by winning their first Premier League title since 2004. And what better way to do that than by beating City on their own ground?

The Gunners, like most teams, to be honest, have a terrible away record against City, with their last win in the game dating back to January 2015. This has led to an inferiority complex that is hard to shake.

In that context, last season’s 0-0 draw was a significant step forward in proving they were City’s equal. On Sunday they were seconds away from going even further and claiming a comfortable victory that would have boosted Arsenal’s confidence of being champions – but Stones snatched that feeling away with almost the last shot of the game.

Arteta made some surprising decisions, giving Calafiori his Premier League debut and letting Timber play at right-back at the expense of Ben White, whose injury the manager later confirmed. Some criticised Arteta’s defensive approach that earned him the 0-0 draw last season and after Trossard’s red card he abandoned any intention of attacking given the numerical inferiority his team had to contend with for 45 minutes. White came on for Saka and Arsenal effectively played in a 5-4-0 formation.

Stones’ goal left a bitter taste in Arteta’s mouth but he will be immensely proud of the way his team defended in the second half – they had to fend off 20 shots on goal without allowing a goal of their own – particularly at the end of a long week that began with a win at Spurs and continued with a Champions League tie at Atalanta on Thursday night. The wait for a win at City continues but Guardiola knows he has serious competition within sight. – Olley

Pep had little answer as Arsenal frustrated the champions

Pep Guardiola must have felt like he was in a recurring nightmare as he watched his Manchester City try to beat Arsenal in the second half. Arsenal, reduced to ten players after Trossard was sent off in the 45th minute, spent almost the entire second half with a deep defence of five defenders and four midfielders, sometimes less than 2 metres apart, fending off City attacks on the edge of their own penalty area.

Holding out for 45 minutes against a fearsome attacking side like City seemed an impossible task for Arsenal, but they almost did it. And Guardiola was as much to blame as his players for preventing City from breaking through before Stones equalised.

Seasoned Guardiola watchers will remember two epic Champions League exits at Camp Nou, when his Barcelona team failed to beat two teams – Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan in 2010 and a Roberto Di Matteo-led Chelsea in 2012 – who both spent the entire second half crushing the ball and defending on the edge of their penalty area. That was repeated at the Etihad on Sunday, with Guardiola failing to make key changes when it was obvious his side were struggling to score goals.

City’s tactics essentially consisted of defenders Walker, Rúben Dias and Manuel Akanji taking ambitious shots from outside the box, and it was so obvious that Guardiola had to do something. However, he waited until the 70th minute before making a substitution – Phil Foden for Doku – and a further eight minutes before sending on Stones and Jack Grealish.

The changes made little difference until Stones struck, but Guardiola should have made more changes earlier. He didn’t need two centre-backs on the pitch against Arsenal, who had no strikers, and he took too long to bring on Grealish.

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This time, City and Guardiola escaped unscathed, but Arsenal were close to frustrating the champions and claiming an incredible victory. — Ogden

Cracks are appearing in the city without Rodri

If anyone still had doubts about Rodri’s importance to Manchester City, the midfielder’s first-half injury, which forced him to sit out the game, made it clear why he is arguably the one player Guardiola cannot do without.

Rodri appeared to have sustained a knee injury in the 20th minute in a seemingly innocuous collision with Thomas Partey. He received lengthy treatment on the pitch before being replaced by Mateo Kovacic when it became clear the Spanish midfielder could not continue.

Without Rodri, City lack the glue that holds the team together. He is the best defensive midfielder in the world, but there is more to his game than that. His creativity is what makes him so important to the team.

City have not lost a Premier League game with Rodri in the team since a defeat to Tottenham in 2023, a streak that now stretches to 52 games.

When he was out through suspension at the start of last season, City lost two league games in a row against Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers. So if Rodri has to miss a period of time with his injury, it will be interesting to see how City deal with it. They almost lost against Arsenal but Stones equalised just before the end, so the cracks in the team without Rodri are already showing. – Ogden