John Stones makes 'dirty' Arsenal claim after snatching dramatic Man City draw

John Stones scored a dramatic 98th-minute equaliser for Manchester City – then took a swipe at Arsenal for their time-wasting tactics.

City's 47-game unbeaten run at home in all competitions was on the line until Stones struck in the dying moments to maintain that streak and rescue a point. Arsenal played the second-half with 10 men after Leandro Trossard was controversially sent off for a second yellow card in first-half added time for kicking the ball away.

Mikel Arteta's side defended resiliently and tried to run down the clock with delaying tactics, but City's persistence paid off right at the end to take them back to the top of the table. Stones said: "It was a difficult afternoon for both teams, how they stop the play, how they use the side of football that not many teams do.

“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.

READ MORE: Roy Keane put in his place by Micah Richards during awkward Man City vs Arsenal debate

READ MORE: Erling Haaland incident that triggered furious bust-up between Man City and Arsenal stars

“They slow the game down, they get the keeper on the floor so they can get some information onto the pitch. We had to control our emotions during those tough times and I felt like we did. There were a lot of tough tackles, some silly decisions, but we did well.

“I wouldn't say they have mastered it, but they have done it for a few years now, so we knew to expect that.” City boss Pep Guardiola said: “With 11 against 10, it's different. They defended so deep. Give credit to Arsenal, they're really good and they defend altogether.

“We were so smart not to make quick actions and we were so smart not to concede fouls. Don't touch them, which was really good, because the game continued and at the end we scored.”

Gunners boss Arteta was seething with the decision to send off Trossard but would only say: “I prefer not to comment, because it was that obvious. I was already in big trouble trying to sort out what happened on the pitch, so it's not my problem.

"Obviously, it's a miracle we played 56 minutes at the Etihad with 10 men. It's unbelievable what we've done. It's obvious what happened when they made that decision, but it doesn't deserve my comment. I don't want to ruin anything else off the pitch."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.