City, Arsenal look ready to go the distance again after 2-2 draw

MANCHESTER, England (AP):

On this evidence, Arsenal and Manchester City look ready to go the distance again in the English Premier League. Whether Mikel Arteta can finally get the better of Pep Guardiola is still unknown.

A 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium yesterday showed Arsenal can certainly go toe-to-toe with the four-time defending champion – but it also confirmed City’s powers of resilience after dominating English football for the past six years.

“Still we have this passion, this fire inside ourselves,” Guardiola said after John Stones rescued a point with an equaliser in the eighth minute of stoppage time.

Arsenal have been runners-up to City in each of the last two years – setting new benchmarks along the way — but still coming up short.

Arteta was Guardiola’s former assistant at City and now stands as his biggest threat.

Yesterday his team looked like snapping City’s 47-game unbeaten home run, despite being down to 10 men for the entirety of the second half after Leandro Trossard was sent off in first-half stoppage time.

But Arsenal’s resolve was finally broken by substitute Stones, who swept in from close range in the final moments.

“Obviously, it is already a miracle we played 56 minutes at the Etihad with 10 men. It is unbelievable what we have done,” said Arteta, who was incensed when Trossard was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.

City were defending an unbeaten home run dating back to a 2-1 loss to Brentford in November 2022. Arsenal were within moments of their first victory at City since 2015 after Gabriel Magalhaes’ first-half header had put the visitors 2-1 up.

Stones’ late leveller was in keeping with a game packed with intrigue and incident.

Erling Haaland reached a landmark when putting City ahead in the ninth with his 100th goal for the club in 105 appearances – firing past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

That later felt like an aside as the home fans began to resign themselves to a rare defeat on home soil.

Influential City midfielder Rodri had left the field in the 20th after appearing to hurt his right knee. The Spain international limped off and his departure proved a turning point as Arsenal levelled just two minutes later through Riccardo Calafiori’s curling effort from outside the area.

Magalhaes then headed the visitors in front from a corner in the first minute of first-half stoppage time, having come close from an almost identical routine shortly before.

There was still time for another pivotal moment before the break when Trossard was sent off.

With a numerical advantage, City dominated the second half but looked like being frustrated by Arsenal’s stubborn defence and some impressive saves from Raya.

Stones, a centre back who sometimes operates in midfield, was brought on and Guardiola instructed him to join Haaland in attack.

“He wanted me to play closer to Erling, get higher up the pitch so when we got crosses in we could start to win more aerial duels,” Stones said.

It paid off.

The draw ended City’s 100 per cent winning record in the league season, but left them (13) a point ahead of second-place Liverpool and Aston Villa in third.

Arsenal are two points off the leaders in fourth.

In another match played yesterday Brighton and Nottingham Forest also played to a 2-2 draw.