Manchester City’s John Stones and Bernardo Silva criticised Arsenal’s “dirty” approach and “time-wasting” after the sides’ rivalry became hostile in their 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
Gabriel Magalhães scored the visitors’ second goal with a header from a corner while City’s goalkeeper Ederson was being blocked. Leandro Trossard was then sent off just before half-time after receiving a second yellow card for kicking the ball away and, down to 10 men in the second half, Arsenal slowed the game down whenever possible. The visitors’ tactics almost earned a famous win, but Stones’s 98th-minute strike rescued a point for City. Erling Haaland had opened the scoring before Riccardo Calafiori equalised for the Gunners.
Asked about Arsenal’s dark arts, Stones said: “I don’t know if they have mastered it, they’ve done it for a few years, and we know to expect that. You can call it clever, or dirty, whichever way you want to put it.
“They break up the game, and it upsets the rhythm for everyone. I thought we dealt with it really well. It’s not easy when those things are happening, and you’re trying to gain momentum, you’re trying to get a foot in the game and get above them. Those little stoppages stop that.”
Silva echoed Stones’s thoughts. “There was only one team that came to play football,” he said. “The other came to play to the limits of what was possible to do and allowed by the referee.”
The Portuguese added: “The second goal is already their usual block to our keeper allowed by the referee. And then the referee allowed a sequence of time-wasting events.”
Asked about the difference between City’s battles with Liverpool and their newer rivalry with Arsenal, Silva said: “Maybe that Liverpool have already won a Premier League, Arsenal haven’t. That Liverpool have won a Champions League, Arsenal haven’t. Liverpool always faced us face to face to try to win the games.”
Mikel Arteta had his own complaints, taking issue with the referee, Michael Oliver, for a lack of consistency after failing to book City’s Jérémy Doku for kicking the ball away before giving Trossard a second yellow for the same offence. “I’ve seen it and it’s obvious,” Arteta said. “If it’s like that, I’m expecting 100 games to be 10 v 11 this season.”
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“Obviously, it is already a miracle we played 56 minutes at the Etihad with 10 men. It is unbelievable what we have done. It is obvious what -happened when they made that -decision, but it doesn’t deserve my comment. We adapted in the best possible way, the way we compete – I’m so proud of them. It couldn’t be a more difficult situation and the way we handled it.”
In August Arsenal had Declan Rice sent off in their 1-1 draw with Brighton in a similar situation. While celebrating Stones’s goal, Haaland bounced the ball off Gabriel’s head but Arteta played down the incident. “I think it was emotions and that’s it,” he said. Pep Guardiola was unsure on the prognosis for Rodri, who was forced off with a knee injury. “I don’t know [how serious],” he said. “I didn’t ask the doctors.”
Guardiola criticised Kyle Walker for failing to mark Gabriel when the latter scored. “He has to [do better] and didn’t,” said the manager.
