It’s the biggest game of the 2024-25 Premier League season so far. Check out the best facts, stats and analyse the Opta data with our Manchester City vs Arsenal stats page.
The biggest game of the Premier League season so far lived up to its billing as John Stones scored a 98th-minute equaliser to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw between Manchester City and 10-man Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.
Erling Haaland’s 100th goal in a Man City shirt had given the hosts the lead before a stunner on his full debut from Riccardo Calafiori and a trademark header from a corner from Gabriel Magalhães sent Mikel Arteta’s team in ahead at the break.
However, they lost Leandro Trossard to a second yellow card just before half-time, and had to defend for their lives in the second as a result, doing so brilliantly up until Stones fired in late on following a City corner.
The late draw sends City back to the top of the Premier League table, which would have been Arsenal’s spot had they held on, but the Gunners must settle for fourth place despite remaining unbeaten in the league along with City, Brighton and Nottingham Forest.
It was a bright start from Pep Guardiola’s men. Superb work from Savinho set Haaland free through the middle and he prodded past David Raya to give City the lead in just the ninth minute.
It may have been an electric start for City, but they were soon brought down to earth as Rodri was forced off with what appeared to be a knee injury, before Calafiori bent a sumptuous shot away from the despairing dive of Ederson into the far corner of the net. The hosts were unhappy with the goal, believing referee Michael Oliver had allowed it to be taken too high up the pitch and too quickly after he had called Kyle Walker over and out of position.
Walker was left annoyed again, this time with himself as he took over from Jérémy Doku on marking Gabriel at Arsenal corners. After prodding the Brazilian a few times, he was left in his dust as the centre-back got free and headed in Bukayo Saka’s perfect corner at the far post to put the Gunners in front. Of Gabriel’s 16 Premier League goals, 88% have been from corners (14), the highest ratio of any player with 10+ goals in Premier League history.
Things were made trickier for Arsenal just before the break, though, as Trossard received a second yellow card after kicking the ball away following a foul on Bernardo Silva. Saka was withdrawn for Ben White at half-time as a result.
City inevitably dominated the ball in the second half, making 211 passes to Arsenal’s 23 between the start of the second half and the 70th minute. Most of their shots were from outside the box, though, with Savinho’s effort over the bar in the 69th minute their seventh from range in the second period by that point.
Arsenal tried to take time out of the game, but also defended resolutely as Guardiola’s men looked uncharacteristically devoid of ideas as to how to break down 10 men.
However, a short corner from City in the dying seconds caught Arsenal cold, and after another shot from the edge of the box was blocked, the ball fell kindly to Stones who slammed into the roof of the net, much to the relief of the home fans.
Stones’ equaliser was from City’s 28th shot of the second half, the joint-second highest by a team on record (from 2003-04) in a single half of Premier League football, only behind City’s 34 in their iconic late win over Queens Park Rangers in May 2012 to secure their first Premier League title.
Will it prove to be another vital goal in a City title charge? There’s a long way to go, but this felt like a game that confirmed these two will be in the race once again.
Manchester City vs Arsenal: Post-Match Facts
- Erling Haaland scored his 100th goal for Manchester City in all competitions, needing just 105 appearances to hit the landmark.
- Manchester City’s equaliser in the 98th minute was their latest goal scored on record (from 2006-07) in a Premier League match. It was from their 28th shot of the second half, the joint-second highest ever by a side on record (from 2003-04) in a single half of Premier League football, behind Man City’s 34 vs QPR in May 2012.
- Arsenal recorded just 22% possession against City, their second-lowest on record (from 2003-04) in a Premier League game (after 20% vs City in August 2021). The Gunners averaged just 12.5% possession in the second half today.
- Arsenal fell behind in a Premier League away game for the first time in 2024, with this their 12th such match on the road this year. Indeed, Haaland’s ninth-minute opener for City was the earliest Arsenal have conceded home or away in the league in 2024.
- Since Mikel Arteta’s first game in charge of Arsenal in December 2019, the Gunners have seen 17 players red carded in the Premier League – at least four more than any other club. Indeed, for Leandro Trossard, it was his first red card in 175 appearances in the competition.
- Erling Haaland became the first player in Premier League history to reach 10 goals in as few as five games from the start of a season in the competition.
- Until John Stones’ goal, Haaland had scored each of Manchester City’s last eight Premier League goals; only Alan Shearer for Blackburn Rovers in October/November 1993 (nine in a row) has ever scored more in succession for a club in the competition.
- Bukayo Saka became the second player in Premier League history to provide an assist in each of a team’s first five games of a season, after Thierry Henry in 2004-05, who also did so for Arsenal.
- Of Gabriel Magalhães’ 16 Premier League goals, 88% have been from corners (14), the highest ratio of any player with 10+ goals in Premier League history.
- Riccardo Calafiori was the 20th player to score on his first Premier League start for Arsenal, but only the second of those to do so with a goal from outside the box, after Fábio Vieira against Brentford in September 2022. His goal was from Arsenal’s first shot of the match.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Manchester City vs Arsenal stats from their Premier League meeting at the Etihad Stadium.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own in-game and post-match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
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