John Stones of Manchester City celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Arsenal FC at Etihad Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Manchester City snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat in their early-season title clash with Arsenal on Sunday with John Stones netting a 98th-minute equaliser.
Placed first and second in the table in each of the last two seasons, Manchester City vs Arsenal has emerged as one of the defining games in the Premier League in recent times.
And the blue touch paper was lit early in this edition as Erling Haaland opened the scoring on nine minutes, netting his 100th goal for Manchester City in the process.
Riccardo Calafiori scored a stunning equaliser with his first Arsenal goal 13 minutes later, while Gabriel Magalhães powered a header home to give Arsenal the lead in the first minute of first-half stoppage time.
However, there was still time before the break for Leandro Trossard to be shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away after the referee’s whistle.
That meant Arsenal faced incredible pressure after the break, as shown by City outshooting them 28-1 with 88% possession and 390 completed passes to 31 in the second half.
It looked like City wouldn’t find the breakthrough, with the likes of David Raya, Gabriel and William Saliba putting in huge defensive performances.
However, Stones popped up to fire home the rebound from a blocked Mateo Kovacic shot right at the death to salvage what could be a vital point for City, breaking Arsenal hearts in the process.
Here are the full player ratings from a manic afternoon at the Etihad Stadium:
Man City vs Arsenal player ratings
Man City (4-3-3)
Ederson – 5/10 – Could Ederson have been stronger on the second Arsenal goal or was he obstructed? A very quiet second half following Trossard’s red card.
Kyle Walker – 3/10 – Complained he wasn’t allowed to get back into position for the quick free-kick on Arsenal’s first goal after being called over by referee Oliver. Probably had a point but still didn’t cover himself in glory defensively. Lost Gabriel’s run on the second goal.
Ruben Dias – 5/10 – Wasn’t afraid to take on a shot when City dominated around the Arsenal box after the break, but far too slow with the ball.
Manuel Akanji – 5/10 – A little too safe with the ball when Arsenal were down to 10 men. Did nothing to pull the Gunners out of their stubborn shape.
Josko Gvardiol – 6/10 – Forced a decent save from Raya in the second half and defended okay, but didn’t offer enough going forward.
Rodri – 6/10 – Was barely on the pitch 20 minutes but was clattered by Havertz from kick-off before appearing to jar his knee, which ended his afternoon prematurely.
Ilkay Gundogan – 7/10 – Could have had a couple of goals in the opening 15 minutes, including hitting the post from a free-kick. Kept himself busy throughout.
Bernardo Silva – 7/10 – Started brightly and created numerous early openings but faded in the second half right when he was needed most.
Savinho – 8/10 – A brilliant pass to find Haaland on the opening goals. This wasn’t a perfect performance from Savinho, who ran out of steam in the second half. But there were plenty of flashes of his obvious brilliance.
Erling Haaland – 7/10 – “That man has got every finish in the bag,” said Jamie Carragher after Haaland poked an unusual left-footed finish beyond Raya to open the scoring, and net his 100th Man City goal. The Norwegian was too quiet after that moment, only periodically showing flashes of danger.
Jeremy Doku – 5/10 – Failed to worry the Arsenal defence all too much and was perhaps lucky to escape a yellow card for kicking the ball away in the first half, which is, of course, the same offence Trossard was shown a second yellow for.
Substitutes:
Mateo Kovacic (21′, for Rodri) – 7/10 – Some ill-advised long shots but Kovacic also did his best to keep City’s tempo high and create some openings.
Phil Foden (69′, for Doku) – 5/10 – Couldn’t find that touch of magic City craved so much.
John Stones (79′, for Walker) – 3/10 – Had just two touches of the ball, but that’s all he needed to make the difference.
Jack Grealish (79′, for Savinho) – 6/10 – Lively, creating two chances and adding a different dimension to City’s attack.
Arsenal (4-3-3)
David Raya – 8/10 – Perhaps left his left-hand post a little too exposed on Haaland’s goal but more than made up for it with some great saves and high-level concentration throughout the rest of the match. Didn’t deserve to be beaten at the end.
Jurrien Timber – 7/10 – Failed to complete a single pass all game, but put in a phenomenal defensive performance, including four clearances, three tackles, one interception and one recovery.
William Saliba – 6/10 – Poor positioning on Haaland’s goal but made up for it by commanding his defence brilliantly in a pressurised second half. However, he was a little slow to react to the knockdown on Stones’ late equaliser.
Gabriel Magalhães – 9/10 – Like Saliba, Gabriel wasn’t great on the Haaland goal. But boy did the Brazilian redeem himself with a thunderous header to put Arsenal 2-1 up, along with a long list of defensive interventions after the break.
Riccardo Calafiori – 8/10 – You’ll do well to find a better first goal for a club than Calafiori’s equaliser here. The Italian then put in a monstrous defensive effort before limping off in the 74th minute. Arteta will hope it’s nothing too serious after this performance.
Declan Rice – 7/10 – Booked again for kicking the ball away, but not as costly as the last time he (or Trossard) did it. Couldn’t do much with the ball under so much pressure in the second half but kept great positional and defensive discipline.
Thomas Partey – 8/10 – Quick thinking to get Arsenal moving quickly on the equaliser, even if he did take the free-kick a few yards further forward than he should have. First to almost every knockdown under pressure in the second half.
Kai Havertz – 7/10 – Like Timber, Havertz didn’t complete a single pass, but that’s only because he was busy getting through so much defensive work.
Bukayo Saka – 7/10 – A little quiet from open play but delivered two beautiful corners for Gabriel, the second of which he converted to give Arsenal the lead. Sacrificed at half-time to get an extra defender on following Trossard’s red card.
Leandro Trossard – 2/10 – You could argue Trossard’s second yellow was harsh considering it looked like he was just playing on after the whistle. However, the way he half pulled out of kicking the ball suggests he heard the whistle and knew what he was doing.
Gabriel Martinelli – 8/10 – Set up Calafiori for the equaliser and put in a brilliant defensive effort. Acted as the pressure relief valve in possession whenever he could in the second half. A thankless task, although we’re sure he’s earned the gratitude of Arteta.
Substitutes:
Ben White (46′, for Saka) – 7/10 – Added a little composure on the ball and put himself about defensively.
Jakub Kiwior (74′, for Callafiori) – 6/10 – His first game of the season but didn’t see much of the play.
Gabriel Jesus (87′, for Martinelli) – 7/10 – Certainly made his presence felt with a few tackles and physical duels.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (90+2′, for Timber) – 5/10 – Was shown a yellow card before even making his Premier League debut for some touchline antics. Brought on late.
Top photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
