Manchester City and Arsenal played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Etihad on Sunday, with Leandro Trossard getting sent off in the first half.
Usually, these games are tactical, it’s like a game of chess, rather than an end-to-end match or a game full of action.
But Manchester City and Arsenal‘s latest encounter was one of their best meetings yet, with action and drama from the get-go, including Trossard‘s two yellow cards inside the first half.
After being booked early in the half, in the 48th minute of stoppage time, the Belgian star barged into the back of Bernardo Silva, the on-field referee Michael Oliver called a foul, blew his whistle, and the Arsenal man kicked the ball away and then issued a second yellow card to the player.
There was shock on the player’s face, Mikel Arteta lifted his jumper over his because it was the Declan Rice sending off all over again.
The Gunners had fallen behind to a brilliant Erling Haaland goal and they were under the cosh pretty much straight away.
But then summer signing Riccardo Calafiori scored a goal of a lifetime to level the scores, before Gabriel Magalhaes showcased his muscle from a corner again to head Arsenal into a lead.
Manchester City had 33 shots during the game, as it became attack v defence in the second half, before John Stones broke Arsenal’s hearts in the 98th minute.
Ian Wright said Arsenal did ‘unbelievably’ well to, in the end, gain a point and admitted ‘you have to take it’.
But the legendary striker shared interesting views on Trossard getting a second yellow card for kicking the ball away by stating ‘I am quite disappointed with Trossard’ and it was ‘poor’ from him.
Arsenal fans might not like what they are hearing from Wright and how he thinks the on-field referee was forced to make a call, as he told Premier League Productions (22/09/24 at 6:45 pm).
Leandro Trossard sending off against Manchester City
“I was quite disappointed with Trossard with that in the end,” said Wright “Especially with what’s happened with Declan Rice and how you come to a place like the Etihad, and you firstly do a foul like that when you are on a yellow, which was quite testing.
“But then, to kick the ball away in any way. You are giving the referee an opportunity. That is something when you look back on, in the grand scheme of things, it was poor play from him. It was poor play from him, as simple as that.
“I think the rest of the guys did unbelievably, it would have been interesting to see that game with 11 v 11. But a point, you have to take it, with ten men for that long, you have to take it.”
A point gained or two dropped for Arsenal?
That was emotional for Arsenal and you wonder how they will react to that result when the dust has settled next week.
On one hand, it will feel like two points dropped, but then again, they were down to ten men for so long and they have walked away with a point.
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Arsenal narrowly missed out on the Premier League title last season and you know there will only be a couple of points between them again.
Perhaps a positive is that the reverse fixture will be played at the Emirates and Arsenal will back themselves to win that one.
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