John Stones has said Manchester City expected Arsenal’s ‘dirty’ tactics as the Gunners battled for a result at the Etihad.
Last season’s top two played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the Premier League on Sunday, with Stones scoring a 98th-minute equaliser to rescue a point for the home side.
Arsenal had earlier turned the game around through goals from Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhães, after Erling Haaland had fired Manchester City ahead inside nine minutes with his 100th goal for the Blues.
The game’s major incident arrived in first-half stoppage time when Leandro Trossard was sent off for a second booking, leading 10-man Arsenal to defend in numbers in a bid to protect their lead.
The North Londoners were also criticised for their defensive tactics during last season’s goalless draw and Stones said Manchester City expected Arsenal’s use of ‘the dark arts’ to run down the clock.
“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,” Stones said to Sky Sports.
“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.”
Stones says Arsenal tactics ‘clever or dirty’
Asked if Arsenal have mastered the dark arts under Mikel Arteta, the centre-back added: “I wouldn’t say they have mastered it but they have done it for a few years now so we knew to expect that.
“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.”
