The Premier League is well and truly back! Manchester City and Arsenal served up an instant classic at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday that no one saw coming. The tentative chess matches between English football’s top-two teams bored neutrals to tears in 2023-24, and in the season before that, City racked up a 7-2 aggregate scoreline that rubbished the notion of an enduring rivalry.
On Sunday, though, Arsenal finally showed some teeth. Mikel Arteta’s side were seconds away from leaving Manchester with three points, despite playing the entire second half with 10 men. After such a gallant performance, John Stones’ 98th-minute equaliser was a cruel blow, but the final result shouldn’t detract from the fact the Gunners made a crucial mental breakthrough.
City threw everything at Arsenal, but they refused to be bullied and, to a man, fought tirelessly from the first minute to the last. The champions extended their extraordinary unbeaten home run to 48 games across all competitions, but for the first time in almost two years, their cloak of invincibility slipped.
The Gunners will feel like City’s equals now, and rightly so, having developed the aggressive streak that had been missing in the past two campaigns. The draw doesn’t put them in the driver’s seat, but Arsenal now have genuine cause to believe that the trophy will be heading back to north London for the first time in 21 years come May.