SILVER LINING FOR ARSENAL

Gunners gutted by City's last-gasp equaliser but Arteta praises side's resilience, progress

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes his team took another step forward, despite conceding a 98th-minute equaliser in a full-blooded 2-2 English Premier League draw away to champions Manchester City on Sept 22.

The Gunners played the entire second half with 10 men after Leandro Trossard was sent off in first-half stoppage time for kicking the ball away, having already been on a yellow card.

Undeterred, they came agonisingly close to holding on to the 2-1 lead given to them before the break from Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes but John Stones levelled at the death for City.

Arsenal would have gone top of the table with a first league win at the Etihad Stadium since 2015 and it would have been a huge statement in this season's title race.

As it stands, City remain top on 13 points, ahead of Liverpool and Aston Villa - who both have 12 - and Arsenal (11).

Arteta, though, said he was still proud of his team's resilience in the face of adversity.

“They put their heart and soul into every single action and at the end to be punished in the last minute... they are gutted,” he said.