Gary Neville thinks Arsenal were involved in one of the ‘worst’ parts of the season, it was a ‘big moment’

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As Arsenal prepare to sign off for the 2024/25 campaign, some end-of-season awards have been discussed.

The Gunners said goodbye to the Emirates for another football calendar, and unfortunately, the message remained the same as it was last year.

Mikel Arteta expressed his disappointment that Arsenal were unable to win the Premier League title or any other silverware, while noting the difficulties his side had faced over the campaign. 

The 2024/25 season was tainted at the Emirates by Arsenal’s woeful injury record, highlighting the lack of squad depth available to Arteta. 

For those in N5, injuries defined the season and kept silverware out of reach, but the Gunners weren’t the only ones to feel that way.

• READ MORE: Mikel Arteta receives another injury nightmare as ‘incredible’ Arsenal star set to undergo ankle surgery

Gary Neville selects ‘worst moment’ of the season from Arsenal’s draw vs Manchester City

Arsenal’s claim to the Premier League title was reduced by injuries, of course, that’s not the only reason, but it’s an undeniable factor.

A steady stream of key absences throughout the campaign hurt Arteta beyond belief, which is something Pep Guardiola can relate to, to some degree. 

Speaking on the Stick To Football podcast, the panel were asked to nominate the ‘worst moment of the season’, prompting Gary Neville to comment on Rodri’s injury. 

“Worst moment for City, Rodri getting injured. It was a big moment in the season,” he said.

Neville nominated Rodri’s ACL injury, which was sustained against Arsenal, as one of the most prominent moments in the season for Manchester City and the title race. 

21 minutes into Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Man City, Rodri went down in great discomfort and later, it was discovered that the midfielder had suffered a significant ACL injury. 

It was only on matchday 37 that the Spaniard returned to action, with his absence sorely missed by Guardiola and City.

Man City draw was also poignant for Arsenal

Even before his injury, Rodri was a talking point when Arsenal battled at the Etihad, clashing with Kai Havertz early on to enrage Guardiola on the sidelines.

The game that took place in September 2024 was detrimental to City’s season, and for other reasons, it was also rather poignant for the visitors. 

After going behind just nine minutes into the contest, Arsenal fought back to lead at half time, but after the interval, Leandro Trossard was controversially sent off. 

Putting aside being down to ten men, the Gunners maintained their lead until the final seconds, as the points were dropped courtesy of John Stones’ late equaliser. 

What came after the emotionally-charged clash was a mass fallout, as Stones took aim at Arteta’s playing style, seeing tensions spill over to the return meeting at the Emirates in February. 

The draw was impactful for the Gunners as it set the tone for the season, as Arsenal have dropped an eye-watering amount of points from winning positions, with the City game being only the second instance of such. 

Neville believes Rodri’s injury in the contest was one of the worst moments of the season for City, and to some, it was a rather bitter moment for Arsenal, too.