Arsenal were forced to share the points with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium as John Stones scored in the dying embers.
It was a valiant effort from Mikel Arteta’s side who despite giving it their all defensively, were undone with seconds to spare.
The two squads fought for over 90 minutes at the Etihad in a game that almost saw Arsenal walk away with their first win at the ground since 2015.
Instead, Stones’ late equaliser saw each club awarded a point, with plenty of drama unfolding after the final goal was scored.
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What Erling Haaland did to Gabriel during Man City vs Arsenal
As expected, Erling Haaland opened the scoring as Arsenal trailed for the first time in 2024 away from home.
The Norwegian netted his 100th goal for City and broke the deadlock of the game, with plenty happening after the striker’s opener.
Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel scored in the first half to see Arsenal head into the dressing room at half-time ahead, but also down to 10 men as Leandro Trossard was sent off.
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As a result, Arsenal had to fight hard to ensure that they didn’t concede in the second half, with Stones ruining what was almost a remarkable result for the Gunners.
In the aftermath of Stones’ goal, Arsenal heads were down at the realisation that a win was not going to happen after their efforts, with Gabriel given a wake up call by Haaland.
The City marksman was seen to pick the ball up and throw it at the back of the Brazilian’s head in reaction to the equaliser, to which the 26-year-old did not immediately react.
It was somewhat expected by Haaland, who was controlled by Gabriel and William Saliba for the most part of the game, showing his frustration by irritating the defender after City scored.
Arsenal got under Haaland’s skin
Haaland was a talking point in the game, not just for his well-taken goal, but for his temperament against City’s Premier League title rivals.
Not only did the 24-year-old throw the ball at Gabriel, but he was seen mocking Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly, asking him ‘Who are you?’ when the two squads clashed on the pitch.
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It was a strange interaction between the established striker and the academy midfielder, and one that implied that Arsenal had got under Haaland’s skin once more.
The top two side’s in the country could not be separated over 90 minutes at the Etihad, with plenty of games to come to determine whether Stones’ late equaliser will impact the title race.
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