September 22nd 2024.
According to Arsenal legend Ian Wright, there was a major blunder during their intense match against Manchester City. Wright believes that this mistake greatly benefited Arsenal, as they were able to secure a thrilling draw with the reigning Premier League champions.
The mistake in question occurred in the 98th minute, when John Stones scored a last-minute goal to save Manchester City from their first defeat of the season. This came after Erling Haaland had given City an early lead, scoring his 100th goal for the team. However, Arsenal's young talent Riccardo Calafiori managed to equalize with a stunning goal on his full debut, much to the frustration of City players who felt the goal should not have counted due to a mistake by the referee.
The Gunners then took the lead before half-time, thanks to Gabriel's powerful header. However, their celebrations were short-lived as they were reduced to ten men when Leandro Trossard received a second yellow card for delaying the restart of the game. With City having a numerical advantage, they relentlessly attacked Arsenal's goal in the second half, but the visitors' defense put on an impressive display to keep them at bay.
In the end, it seemed like Arsenal would secure a famous victory at the Etihad Stadium, but Stones' equalizer in the dying seconds of the game denied them that glory. Wright praised Arsenal for their strong defensive performance against a top team like Manchester City, but he also acknowledged that they were lucky to escape with a draw.
The mistake that Wright refers to is the free-kick that led to Arsenal's equalizer. City players argued with the referee, Michael Oliver, claiming that the free-kick was taken from the wrong position and that Kyle Walker was not allowed to return to his position after speaking to the official. Wright sympathized with City, saying that he wouldn't want such a goal to be scored against his team. He also questioned Oliver's decision not to allow Walker to return to his position, stating that it would have been a logical thing to do.
In Wright's opinion, this mistake may have influenced Oliver's decision to send off Trossard later in the game. He believes that the referee may have been trying to "even things up" after making a mistake that potentially cost City a goal. Trossard's red card was a result of him kicking the ball away in frustration, and Wright believes that this was a foolish decision that gave Oliver the opportunity to make up for his mistake.
Overall, Wright feels that both teams were impacted by the mistakes made by the officials, and the result could have been different if they had not occurred. He also speculates that Oliver may have been looking for an opportunity to balance things out after his error with Walker. In the end, Wright believes that Trossard's sending off was a consequence of the earlier mistake and could have been avoided if he had not kicked the ball away.
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