Imagine Mafeking’s descent. In football terms, that is what happened here at the Etihad Stadium on a filthy afternoon in early fall when the rain fell persistently and inexorably and Arsenal withdrew to their walls and committed their hearts and souls to repelling one of the Premier League’s greatest sieges.
Arsenal dropped back to the brink of their area for the 45 minutes of the second half and seven minutes of remaining time after being down to 10 men on the stroke of half time. They decided they would back their strong defence to keep even an attacking side as brilliant and as clever as Manchester City at away.
Arsenal kept on the 2-1 lead until relief was visible and they could feel the excitement that would overwhelm them should they hand City their first home defeat in the Premier League since November 12, 2022, an undefeated run spanning 680 days. Almost all of that time.
They realised, even at this early point of the season, what a great psychological edge that would provide against rivals they have not quite been able to defeat to the league title in the past two seasons. Last season, they drew 0-0 here and it was insufficient. They had to win, they knew.
Their disobedience was very remarkable. The game became an assault against defence training game. In the league, the best attack against the best defence. Against Gabriel and William Saliba, Erling Haaland, who had just scored his 100th City goal in only 105th appearance for the club, matched Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for Real Madrid.
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John Stones (right) scored the equaliser for Manchester City with just seconds remaining on the clock
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The defender saved City from what looked like a certain defeat against a 10-man Arsenal
And then the champions at Arsenal finally found a path when they seemed to have crushed City’s hearts in a game that could not have been more drastically different from the stagnation so many had foreseen.
Grealish made a fast turn, the ball was rifled into the box, it deflected and dropped at John Stones’s feet, goalwards. Raya nearly caught the shot as well, but it went up off his legs and into the net’s roof. The siege had undermined the will of the defenders at last.
Arsenal should be happy of what they accomplished, but there is no doubting who felt as though they had won the game at the finish. City recognised for all their value. Arsenal slumped. City leads the table right now. Arsenal is running after. And still City will not break. Arsenal cannot yet break them either.
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Erling Haaland toe-poked the ball past David Raya to score the opening goal of the game
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In just his 105th City appearance, the Norwegian scored his 100th Premier League goal.
Everyone had talked of how Arsenal had to win to release City’s psychological grip over them before the game. The only issue with it is City’s 47 game undefeated record at the Etihad. Not a simple chore is beating them. Nine years have gone without Arsenal managing it.
Two minutes later City had the lead. Savinho turned brilliantly on half way and slid a ball in Haaland’s path. Haaland had held his run just long enough to remain onside and is intelligent as well as lethal. For his historic strike, he outstripped Gabriel and toe-poked his shot beyond Raya.
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Haaland’s City teammates rushed over to celebrate his landmark goal against the Gunners
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After treatment, Rodri limped from the pitch and was replaced by Mateo Kovacic; replays revealed that he had wrenched his knee when he landed.
City came near to widening their lead after Gabriel fouled Savinho on the brink of the box after a quarter of an hour. Gundogan turned the free kick around the wall. Raya flung himself to his left, then felt relief when the ball cannon came off his post’s outside.
