Roy Keane disagrees with Micah Richards as he names two Arsenal stars who were ‘unbelievable’ vs Man City

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Arsenal faced a monumental task in keeping Manchester City at bay with ten men throughout the second half of Sunday’s clash between the two sides.

Arsenal were able to hold on until the dying seconds of the match, before John Stones prodded home an equaliser at the end of injury time. 

Mikel Arteta will still have been proud of the Gunners’ defensive efforts though. David Raya impressed Arsenal fans once again, as he made a number of vital saves, whilst the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, amongst others, stepped up with several important interventions.

The North London club will feel aggrieved to have been reduced to ten men, and will also have been sickened to have conceded such a late equaliser. 

• READ MORE: The eight worst Arsenal VAR decisions of all time in Premier League games

Micah Richards and Roy Keane clash over William Saliba and Gabriel

Speaking on Sky Sports (22/09/2024, 18:45) after the match, Micah Richards was effusive in his praise for the Gunners’ defensive efforts. 

The former Manchester city full-back said: “Gabriel and Saliba were unbelievable. To defend like that for 45 mins against the best team in the country was remarkable.”

However, offering an alternative perspective, Manchester United legend Roy Keane chipped in with: “They conceded two goals, they can’t have been that good.”

Did Arsenal let themselves down against Manchester City?

Given the context of the match and the opponent, Keane’s comment was harsh. Arsenal found themselves against arguably the best team in the world, a man down, on enemy territory, and they held out for more than 50 minutes.

Even with the late equaliser, there was an element of good fortune for the hosts in the way that the ball ricocheted into Stones’ path.

Ultimately, though, Leandro Trossard owes his teammates an apology for the manner in which he was dismissed.

Trossard was sent off for delaying the restart. After committing a foul, the Belgian forward kicked the ball away, inviting Michael Oliver to show him a second yellow card. 

This is becoming something of a bad habit for the Gunners. Declan Rice was recently sent off for the same offence, whilst Saliba picked up a booking in the North London Derby for preventing a quick free kick too. 

Whilst Arsenal did produce an admirable defensive display in the second half, such an approach to that period of match would not have been necessary had Trossard learned from his own teammates’ past mistakes.