Manchester City defender John Stones had strong words to describe Arsenal’s tactics on Sunday evening.
John Stones was the hero for Manchester City as his late goal salvaged a draw for the reigning Premier League champions against Arsenal.
In the first half, the Gunners went toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola’s side. After Erling Haaland had given the hosts an early lead, Arsenal hit back with Riccardo Calafiori’s sensational and controversial strike from range.
Arsenal then got their noses in front as Gabriel Magalhaes crashed in a header at the far post from a corner.
However, the game changed on the stroke of half-time, as Leandro Trossard was sent off for delaying a restart. The Belgian forward was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away after Manchester City had been awarded a free kick by referee Michael Oliver.
Arsenal were praised for their defensive efforts in the second half, as the likes of David Raya, William Saliba, and Gabriel, amongst others, all made vital interventions. However, their resistance was ultimately broken by Stones in the 98th minute.
Man City ace John Stones takes aim at Arsenal tactics
After the match, Stones spoke to Sky Sports (22/09/2024, 18:56), and gave his verdict on the Gunners’ approach to the game after they had been reduced to ten men.
The England international said: “It was a good battle, a lot of tackles. Some silly decision, but it’s hard to digest it all. But we come away with a point, towards the end of the game it could have been us losing three games.
Referring to how Arsenal sought to sit deep, frustrate, and slow the game down by breaking up play after the break, he added: “They’ve been doing it for a few years. You can call it clever and dirty, whichever way you call it, it upsets the rhythm for everyone. They use it for their advantage. We controlled our emotions really well.
“They made it difficult for us being so deep and having so many people around the box… For the past few years, there’s been a rivalry that’s been growing. One where we’ve always wanted to be on top.”
Mikel Arteta must focus on positives after Manchester City
The overriding emotion in the Arsenal dressing room after the final whistle on Sunday will have been one of frustration. The Gunners were so close, yet so far, to finally beating Manchester City on their own patch in the Premier League.
However, the fact that they were able to hold out for so long in the second half is admirable, as if the fact they they went ahead in the first place, having overcome an early setback.
In terms of quality, there is so little to separate these two sides now, and that will give Mikel Arteta heart ahead of the title race that is to come.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
