A 98th minute equaliser from John Stones denied Arsenal claiming all three points at City's ground for the first time since 2015. This came after an eventful first half, with goals from Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes offsetting Erling Haaland's opener.
The game changed on the stroke of the interval, as Leandro Trossard was given his marching order after delaying the restart whilst on a yellow card. The dismissal provoked Arsenal into sitting deep and defending in a low block during the second 45 minutes, a strategy criticised by Silva, and supported by Keys.
"There are two sides to a game of football"
Bernardo Silva
With seconds left to play at the end of the opening period, and just minutes after Gabriel Magalhaes' header had put the Gunners in the lead, Trossard was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away after City had been awarded a free-kick. While ex-referee Dermot Gallagher gave his verdict on the decision, arguing it was correct, the incident has sparked conversations mirroring the discussion around Declan Rice's controversial red card against Brighton three weeks ago.
Inevitably, the incident changed the complexion of the game, with Mikel Arteta's team opting to sit back and let City have possession after the break. The match ended with the home side having had 77% of the ball, a statistic that prompted Silva to take a dig at Arsenal, a comment which also involved the Portuguese claiming City's rivalry with Liverpool is more fierce and competitive.
"There are two sides to a game of football - offence and defence. Arsenal took the game to City in the first-half - then, after shooting themselves in the foot again, put on a magnificent show of dogged defending.
"It made me laugh when I read Bernardo Silva making those allegations - and whining about Arsenal’s ‘dirty tricks’. My goodness, what a glorious irony. Guardiola teams have always engaged in dirty tricks. He invented them at Barcelona and developed them at Munich and City."
Manchester City vs Arsenal Statistics
City
Stat
Arsenal
77%
Possession
23%
33
Shots
5
11
Shots on Target
3
5
Big Chances
3
8
Corners
2
Wright Dubs Haaland a 'Coward'
The pundit called out the striker's antics
Erling Haaland
In another incident that sparked conversation, in what was a feisty affair in the north-west, Erling Haaland threw the ball at Gabriel's head after Stones tucked home the late leveller. The action of the prolific number nine has been criticised by Ian Wright, who described it as a 'coward's move'.
Wright said the decision to chuck the ball towards Gabriel bothered him, and that he 'thought Haaland was bigger than that'. The City players celebrated the last-gasp goal but were unable to mount another attack, as Michael Oliver blew the final time whistle to end what was a timeless Premier League classic, that could set the tone for an enticing title race.
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