Shots fired! Man City stars accuse Arsenal of not arriving at the game, Arteta sees it differently
Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 23.09.24. | 12:18
The bus that the Gunners parked in front of their goal after Trossards' expulsion triggered a serious debate
That was quite a sensational derby yesterday at Etihad, and tensious. And it's far from over despite the game ended almost 15 hours ago.
Manchester City forward Bernardo Silva said only one team came to play football in their 2-2 Premier League draw with Arsenal, who were accused of employing "dark arts".
City had 28 shots in the second period and 109 passes in the opposition half compared to just two of their rivals!
"There was only one team that came to play football," Silva told TNT Sports Brazil. "The other came to play to the limits of what was possible to do and allowed by the referee, unfortunately.
"I'm glad we always enter the pitch to try to win every match."
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, City defender John Stones - who scored the equalizer deep into the stoppage time - was critical of Arsenal's approach.
"They slow the game down," he said. "They get the keeper on the floor so they can get some information on to the pitch. We had to control our emotions during those tough times.
"I wouldn't say they have mastered it, but they have done it for a few years now, so we knew to expect that. You can call it clever or dirty, whichever way you want to put it, but they break up the game, which upsets the rhythm.
"They use it to their advantage and we dealt with it very well."
City captain Kyle Walker said on BBC Radio 5 Live: "As a football match, it is a great spectacle for the Premier League. Probably not so much certain stuff - I think it's part and parcel of the game and we'll say the dark arts.
"I think as a Manchester City fan or player, you are obviously frustrated. As an Arsenal manager, he is going to say well played and well managed."
And Walker was quite right there, as Mikel Arteta hailed his team's performance as 'miracle'.
"It is a miracle we played 56 minutes at the Etihad with 10 men," said Arteta. "It's unbelievable what we have done."
0 - Neither Jurriën Timber (6 passes) nor Kai Havertz (5 passes) completed any of their passes for Arsenal against Man City today, the first outfield players on record (from 2003-04) to play 89+ minutes of a Premier League match and not successfully pass to a teammate. Plan. pic.twitter.com/4NNPem9pZZ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 22, 2024
Asked if his side would have won had Trossard stayed on the pitch, Arteta said:
"I have no clue. We would have tried for sure. But what I can tell you is 99 out of 100 times if you play 56 minutes against this team with 10 men, you're going to lose and you're going to lose by a lot of goals."
