Manchester City defender John Stones scored a dramatic 98th-minute equaliser as the Premier League champions denied 10-player Arsenal a win in a gripping 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s side were on the cusp of a first home Premier League defeat since November 2022 until Stones squeezed the ball past David Raya with City’s 28th and final attempt of an extraordinary second half.
Arsenal played the entire second half a man down after Leandro Trossard was sent off but were seconds away from inflicting City’s first home defeat since November 2022.
A draw is enough for City to retake top spot, two points clear of Arsenal in fourth.
Erling Haaland’s 100th City goal had given City the perfect start.
Arsenal turned the game around thanks to Riccardo Calafiori’s wonder strike and another set-piece header from Gabriel Magalhaes.
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The Gunners lost Trossard for a second booking just before half-time.
However, Mikel Arteta’s men produced a stunning rearguard action to hold out until the final seconds when Stones bundled in after Arsenal failed to clear a corner.
The powder keg for an explosive encounter was lit within the first few seconds when Kai Havertz charged into Rodri to leave the Spaniard needing treatment.
Guardiola said City had been handed an advantage by having an extra day’s rest and not travelling for their Champions League draw with Inter Milan on Wednesday.
Arsenal, by contrast, were in Italy on Thursday for their 0-0 stalemate against Atalanta.
Arsenal dropped two points in a 1-1 draw with Brighton after Declan Rice did likewise just three weeks ago and they suffered a similar fate in heartbreaking fashion.
In other game, Nottingham Forest substitute Ramon Sosa scored his first Premier League goal to earn his side a 2-2 draw at Brighton as both managers were sent off.
The result means both sides remain unbeaten five games into the new season, with seventh-placed Brighton one place above Forest in the table.
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