Arteta expects most Premier League games to be played with ten players

A thrilling Sunday match between Arsenal and Manchester City ended in a 2-2 draw after John Stones equalised in the 98th minute. Arsenal played the entire second half with ten men after Leandro Trossard’s controversial sending off. Mikel Arteta harshly criticised the inconsistency in the awarding of cards after the game and predicted that we will see many similar sending offs this season.

• Arteta expects more shorthanded games due to inconsistent decisions
• Arsenal played with 10 men for the second time in three games
• Despite the complications, Arsenal wanted to win in Manchester

Arteta criticises referees after draw with Manchester City

Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhães sent Arsenal into the lead, but everything changed when Trossard was red-carded just before the end of the first half.

Trossard kicked the ball away after a foul on Bernardo Silva and referee Michael Oliver awarded him a second yellow card for holding up play. While it was technically the correct decision, Arteta wondered after the game how this situation is judged in other cases.

“I expect to see 100 games this year where one team finishes in the top 10. In the last three games we have lost players twice, while similar situations in the same games were not punished by the referees,” Arteta said, expressing frustration at the inconsistent approach of the referees.

City dominated the second half against ten Arsenal players

After Trossard’s sending off, City completely took control of the game. While Arsenal did not get a single shot off, City peppered the opposition goal with more than 20 shots. Despite the pressure, Arsenal managed to hold on to the lead until the 98th minute when substitute Stones managed to equalise.

Arteta praised the determination of his players after the game, “The team fought in an unbelievable way. I am proud of them. We couldn’t have been in a tougher situation against such an opponent, but the boys did great.”

The courage and frustration of overtime

The Arsenal coach also expressed his frustration that the game was dragged out until the 99th minute, but still remained proud of the team’s performance. “The boys put their heart and soul into it. It was a tough game for us and even though we lost the win in the last minute, we showed tremendous resilience.”

Arteta concluded, ” We came here to win, that’s the reality. There was a difficult situation that we didn’t count on, but at least we got a draw and we have to move on.” You can read the full press conference on Arsenal’s official website.

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