Amid huge animosity, Arsenal stepped into the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City on Matchday 5 of the 2024-25 Premier League season. With the two teams unbeaten so far, it was a highly anticipated encounter. More so, because both have been the best in the Premier League in the last 2-3 seasons. Furthermore, the Gunners managed to take four points of a possible six against the domestic league champions. Therefore, this clash already had the required buildup to make it a blockbuster encounter.
Right from the first whistle, challenges were being made to one another. Kai Havertz knocked down Rodrigo in the first five seconds right at the center of the pitch, just to give a glimpse of what was about to happen in the remainder of the match. From there on, the entire atmosphere around the Etihad got heated up as the two teams battled it out for a 2-2 draw after a grueling 90 minutes. A lot happened in between, from a red card to Leandro Trossard, to a 97th-minute equalizer by the home team to shatter Arsenal’s hope.
Erling Haaland Scores, Arsenal Leads & Trossard’s Red
Manchester City opened the scoring at the Etihad after a clean play from the back that found Erling Haaland right between the two Arsenal defenders, William Saliba and Gabriel. The gap was so big, that the two centrebacks failed to close it in time, allowing City’s striker to score his 100th goal for the team. This now makes the Norwegian the fastest player to score a century of goals, taking only 105 games. Club’s legend Sergio Aguero achieved this feat in 158 games.
Arsenal Makes it 1-1 Through Riccardo Calafiori
Despite taking the lead, Manchester City suffered Rodrigo’s injury setback in the first half. He was replaced by Kovacic and the effect of his absence was soon seen on the pitch. A momentary collapse from City’s captain, Kyle Walker, saw him far from his right-back position. This allowed Thomas Partey to play the ball right on the wing to Gabriel Martinelli, who got a headstart over Walker. He made a lovely cutback pass to Italian, Riccardo Calafiori, who came in running from his leftback position. The defender wasted no time and smashed the ball right in the back of the net, beating Ederson to it.
Gabriel Puts Arsenal Ahead at Etihad
The Gunners have been the most successful team in the Premier League in the last two years when it comes to scoring from setpieces. This is what they again proved against the reigning champions in their own backyard. When Arsenal got a corner around the 40th-minute mark, they almost took the lead through Gabriel. Luckily for Manchester City, the defender’s header was a few inches above the crossbar.
However, a mirror-image play in the 45th minute, saw Gabriel heading the ball. A corner kick from Bukayo Saka found the defender behind Ederson, who did not it miss it this time, giving the away team a 2-1 lead. From conceding first in the opening minutes to securing a lead just before halftime, showed how much the fixture meant to Arsenal.
Trossard’s Mistake Puts Arsenal Down to 10
Leandro Trossard was booked first for grabbing Savio’s jersey in the 34th minute. This meant that he needed to be careful with his approach for the rest of the game. However, that wasn’t how it was meant to be. A foul to Bernardo Silva in the dying seconds of the first half, saw Trossard showing his frustration as he kicked the ball in the air. This act of dissent led to a second yellow, automatically converting to a red card. His sent-off meant that Arsenal had to defend with 10 men on the pitch at the Etihad.
Manchester City’s 98th-Minute Goal Shatters Arsenal
The second half was all about the Gunners defending their lead against a hungry City team. The 10-men Arsenal was forced to park the bus and literally block everything that was coming at them. This also allowed the home team to record a total of 33 shots (11 on target). The visitors had barely going on for them at the offensive end but the team showed a lot of resilience. So much so, that the fans started to believe that their team could win.
However, in the 98th minute of the game, they lost focus, which led to Manchester City’s equalizer through John Stones. After containing the champions for long periods, the away team succumbed to a lapse in focus, giving the home team a well-deserved draw. After the match, the two managers seemed satisfied with the result as this has become the biggest new rivalry in the Premier League.
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