Arsenal drop last-second win against Man City

The Etihad match was given seven minutes of added time, but due to earlier delays, referee Michael Oliver allowed the players to play into the eighth minute of added time. It was then that Man City scored an equaliser. Jack Grealish placed the ball quickly into a corner as Arsenal were marking in the box. The ball then fell to Mateo Kovacic and the Croatian midfielder took a deflection off Jakub Kiwior, allowing Stones to tap the rebound into an empty net.

Man City equalised with their 28th and final shot of the second half. The 2-2 result, despite the hard-fought draw, kept Pep Guardiola's side at the top of the Premier League table with 13 points. Arsenal dropped to fourth with 11 points, one behind Liverpool and Aston Villa.

Unlike the 0-0 draw at the end of last season, the big match between the two strongest candidates at the Etihad Stadium on September 22 was exciting with unpredictable developments. Right after Man City kicked the ball off, Kai Havertz rushed up and bumped Rodri's shoulder, causing the Spanish midfielder to fall to the ground, signaling a heated match in Manchester. In the 20th minute, it was Thomas Partey's turn to have a similar collision, and this time Rodri was injured, forcing him to make way for Mateo Kovacic.

With Rodri on the pitch, Man City started well and continuously created trouble. In the 7th minute, Bernardo Silva passed from the right wing into the middle for Gundogan to receive and eliminate Gabriel, but his right-footed volley missed the post. Two minutes later, also from an attack on the right wing, Savinho rushed into the middle and passed the ball for Haaland to run down and finish with his left foot into the near corner, defeating goalkeeper David Raya.

The Norwegian striker reached 100 goals in his 105th appearance for Man City in all competitions. Haaland is the fastest to reach 100 goals for a club, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo's record for Real Madrid. He has scored ten goals in the Premier League this season, twice as many as the next player, Liverpool's Luis Diaz.

In the 15th minute, Gundogan missed the chance to double the gap when his free kick from 20 meters hit the post. But after Rodri left the field injured, the "wind changed direction" at Etihad.

In the 22nd minute, when Man City players were complaining about Arsenal's free kick, Partey passed the ball long to Gabriel Martinelli to escape down the left wing. The Brazilian striker led the ball for a few steps and then passed it back to Riccardo Calafiori, who connected with a one-touch shot into the far corner, forcing Ederson to fly as far as he could but could not block it. Man City players continued to complain to referee Michael Oliver, and Guardiola kicked the chair, but Arsenal's equalizer was still recognized.

After scoring against Man City, the Italian defender ran to the touchline and hugged coach Mikel Arteta. Calafiori is the 20th Arsenal player to score on his Premier League debut, and the second to do so from outside the box, after Fabio Vieira against Brentford in September 2022.

In the first minute of injury time, from a corner kick on the right wing, Bukayo Saka curled the ball towards the far post. Three Arsenal players continuously moved to block Ederson's path, creating conditions for Gabriel to rush in and head the ball into the home team's net. Man City players thought Ederson had been fouled, but VAR intervened, confirming that the away team had scored a valid goal. A few minutes earlier, Arsenal had coordinated a similar corner kick, but Gabriel headed wide.

Fourteen of Gabriel's 16 Premier League goals have come from corners, a rate of 88%, the highest of any player to score at least ten goals from corners in the competition. Last time out, it was the Brazilian centre-back who headed in a corner to help the Gunners win 1-0 at Tottenham.

While Arsenal were on top, they were at a numerical disadvantage. In an aerial challenge, Leandro Trossard elbowed Bernardo Silva in the back and kicked the ball away just after referee Michael Oliver blew his whistle. The Belgian forward was sent off for a second yellow card for “delaying the ball into play,” according to the X social media account @PLMatchCentre, which provides “almost live” explanations of on-field decisions.

On the sidelines, Arteta covered his face with his shirt, as if he didn't want to see what was happening on the pitch. In the third round of the Premier League, Declan Rice received a red card for a similar incident, costing Arsenal a victory over Brighton at the Emirates Stadium.

In the second half, with the advantage of more players, Man City controlled the ball up to 88%, shot 24 times but could not defeat the solidity of Arsenal's defense. Pep Guardiola also sent his best players on the bench, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, John Stones onto the field, but could not make a difference, until the attack in the last seconds.