This battle was never going to win the war, that is far off for now, but, nonetheless, this was an absorbing, engaging blockbuster that was very different to the most recent meetings between Manchester City and Arsenal. You simply couldn’t take your eyes off it.
Dull and rigid are not words that can be used to describe this game, it was one that Pep Guardiola’s team dominated but the visitors found themselves seconds from unexpectedly winning. There was drama from first minute until last and talking points galore.
Erling Haaland, naturally, was the first to dominate the narrative. His goal in the ninth minute saw him equalise Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid record by scoring his 100th goal for City within his first 100 games for the club. The finish spoke of a striker currently in total command — he has 10 goals in five league outings so far this season.
But that was only the start of it. Arsenal surged back. Riccardo Calafiori was a surprise starter, given his full debut by Mikel Arteta in what would be a baptism of fire for the Italian defender, but his 20-yard strike to level was something to behold. Not least because of the surprise factor of it all.
City were mightily close to losing at home for the first time since November 2022, 47 games ago, after Gabriel Magalhaes thumped home a header to put Arsenal ahead before half-time.
However, Leandro Trossard’s sending off for a second bookable offence on the cusp of the interval for stupidly kicking away the ball made the second 45 minutes tough going for the away side. They looked set to hold on with an admirable defensive showing but substitute John Stones scrambled a late equaliser past David Raya to ensure it finished all square.
The picture at full-time was one of a relieved City, who would not have forgiven themselves to have gone ahead and then not capitalised on a 10-man opposition at home against a team who are likely to be their main challengers for the title again this season.
The Arsenal players, on the other hand, slumped to the floor. They were so close to a big statement win against the odds but could not see it through. These remain the early throes of the season but it feels as though the title race between these two has been lit already after an encounter to remember.
Story of the game
Kevin De Bruyne had been a fitness doubt ever since hobbling off with a muscle injury against Inter Milan on Wednesday.
His omission from the matchday squad meant the biggest fixture of the league season so far was without another illustrious playmaker — Martin Odegaard remains sidelined with a foot injury — and came at the end of a week when players have had a fair amount to say about current considerations regarding their welfare.
There was much else to digest on the release of both teams’ starting XIs, too. Kyle Walker was in for Rico Lewis on the right of City’s defence while it was Jeremy Doku given the nod ahead of both Phil Foden and Jack Grealish further up that flank. Ilkay Gundogan took De Bruyne’s place in midfield.
Arteta also made bold choices. None more so than dropping Ben White to the bench so Calafiori could make his full debut. As expected, Declan Rice came straight back into midfield after his one-game suspension.
The tight and tactical encounters between these two sides last term, both finishing as draws, were hard to draw conclusions from — albeit the 0-0 here saw Arsenal come in for some criticism for their defensive approach.
The hope this time was for the game to be a little more free flowing, yet the start was bruising to say the least.
Kai Havertz collided with Rodri at the kick-off, flattening the City midfielder, who required treatment following the clash. Play had not long resumed when William Saliba and Haaland came together in another black-and-blue bump as the contest struggled to get going.
Yet, when Bernando Silva fired a pass into Gundogan and his touch took him around Gabriel, the game had its first moment of quality. The midfielder’s wild volley was far from an example of neat execution, though.
City had started stronger and went ahead with nine minutes played as Haaland brought up his century.
The goal owed a lot to Savinho who worked his way in from the left and slid a pass between Arsenal’s two centre-backs for the Norway striker to chase. Haaland’s dart to goal was electric and his finish was pushed beyond Raya.
Arsenal, behind in an away league game for the first time this year, had their woodwork rattled by a Gundogan free-kick. But Rodri’s forced exit midway through the half, after falling awkwardly when Thomas Partey attempted to chaperone him at a corner, was the first blow City took.
It worsened less than a minute later as the visitors drew level from an unexpected source. A quick free-kick sent Gabriel Martinelli down the left and the Brazilian played the ball back to Calafiori. The Italian defender side-footed a left-footed shot around Ederson from some 20 yards out and ran straight to the away dugout to celebrate his first goal for the club.
A few paces away, Guardiola thrust a kick at his seat in frustration but his team went close when Walker’s low shot was saved and Doku’s rising effort deflected wide.
The game was bubbling along nicely but Gabriel sending a back-post header over from a corner represented a big miss for the Arsenal centre-back. He would make amends as the first-half entered six minutes of stoppage time.
Another corner, another powerful run and another header but this one was planted beyond Ederson and sent the travelling Arsenal supporters into a frenzy. If that put Arsenal into the driving seat, then Trossard’s sending off late in stoppage time undermined it somewhat.
The Belgian was already on a booking when he kicked the ball away after a free-kick had been awarded and referee Michael Oliver gave him his marching orders. Arteta pulled his jumper over his eyes. He had seen that one before when Rice was dismissed for a similar offence last month.
Bukayo Saka was sacrificed when White came on at half-time and Arsenal’s defence suffered a City onslaught after the interval. Raya was certainly kept busy: he batted away a Walker drive, scooped up a towering Haaland header and also saved Josko Gvardiol’s attempt. It was back to the walls stuff from the visitors.
But they were holding out. They lost Calafiori to a knock — and 72 minutes of a full-throttle full debut — and was replaced by Jakub Kiwior. It was a case of new player but same cause as concentration was now everything for Arsenal to see this through.
Raya got down to save well when Gvardiol caught a volley sweetly but the Arsenal goalkeeper could only parry the City defender’s next effort from a short corner in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time. On hand to scramble home the rebound was substitute Stones to rescue a draw from this epic contest.
