Arsenal have turned their attention to the Carabao Cup however, their Premier League draw against Man City is still trending.
Mikel Arteta’s side return to the Emirates on Wednesday night to face Bolton Wanderers in the cup following their dramatic draw against City.
The Gunners secured a 2-2 draw at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon, taking a point from the champions which was so nearly a maximum three points.
John Stones’ last-gasp equaliser denied Arsenal their first win at the Etihad since 2015, which caused an uproar in the media due to Arteta’s defensive tactics.
In the wake of the draw, a host of City players have aired their disbelief that Arsenal set up defensively in the second half when defending a 2-1 lead with just 10 men, which speaks volumes.
- READ MORE: Chris Sutton blasts Man City defender John Stones for ‘hypocrisy’ after his dig at Arsenal tactics
Kyle Walker’s previous comments about Arsenal prove Mikel Arteta’s progress
Stones accused Arsenal of playing dirty, with Erling Haaland, Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker also expressing their dissatisfaction with the visitor’s game plan.
It’s been a long time since Arsenal were the subject of such a bashing after a fixture, reinforcing the steps that the Gunners have taken to rise to the top under Arteta.
The anger shown by the City players displays a sense of insecurity, which was a feeling first raised by Walker back in May.
Speaking to Sky Sports after City’s fourth consecutive title win, the Englishman admitted that the club and Pep Guardiola are aware that the gap between Arsenal and the 2023 treble winners is closing.
“He [Guardiola] knows Arsenal are right on our heels now so either we need to up our game a little bit more or Arsenal need to fall off a little bit,” Walker said at the end of last season.
“The gap’s getting closer each year and we need probably extend that gap to give ourselves a little bit of breathing space.”
City are growing more and more wary of Arsenal’s presence in the Premier League, with the Gunners showing growing intent year on year under Arteta.
Man City and Arsenal rivalry is alive
The 2022/23 season first saw Arsenal rise as challenger’s for the Premier League title however, City seemed uninterested in the Gunners’ presence as Guardiola’s side capitalised on the North Londoners’ collapse.
Last campaign told a different story as Arteta’s side missed out on the title by only two points, as well as collecting four points from City over the two meetings between the contenders.
Walker’s comments were made after the Cityzen’s recent title win, with the fallout after the 2-2 draw reinforcing just how close Arsenal are to derailing City’s hopes of winning five in a row.
Guardiola’s machine has now entered a rivalry phase with the Gunners, with the only thing left for Arsenal to do being to usurp City’s dominance at the top of English football.
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