Former Irish football pundit Eamon Dunphy believes that Arsenal under Mikel Arteta are the real deal and that Manchester City know it.
Arsenal and City played out a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday afternoon, which saw plenty of drama in the 2-2 draw.
In the first half, City took the lead through Erling Haaland, but goals from Ricardo Califori and Gabriel ensured that Arsenal went into the break 2-1 up.
However, the game turned on its head when Trossard received a second yellow card from Michael Oliver for delaying the restart.
The second half was dominated by City, and they managed to snatch a point thanks to a late goal from City defender John Stones.
The game once again showed Arsenal’s resilience on the road, and it also means that they have taken 7 points from 9 in away games against Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City in their opening five matches.
Many feel that Arsenal are here to stay, and Dunphy shares the opinion that Arsenal can go all the way, despite Arteta’s lack of success in terms of trophies so far.
“The big picture is that Arsenal’s strong form on the road continues,” said Dunphy in his Irish Mirror column.
“Mikel Arteta’s men have now gone to Aston Villa, Tottenham, and City—three of their toughest away trips—and have taken seven points out of nine.
“We have more evidence that this is an Arsenal team with real steel and character.
“Arsène Wenger’s title-winning sides had strong defences as well as attacking flair, but Arteta’s team is more like a George Graham side than a Wenger one.
“He hasn’t won a major trophy yet, but Arteta looks increasingly like the real deal as a manager.”
City dominated the second half after Trossard’s sending off, controlling possession and most of the shots. However, the majority of those shots were from a distance. For all their metrics, City only really started to threaten when Grealish sped up play down the flank in the dying minutes.
Dunphy added that, despite City’s poor performance with a man advantage, they deserve credit for sticking with it. However, he believes that Arsenal will be the happier of the two, having played the entire second half with 10 men.
“City deserves credit for persevering until the final whistle and managing to get something out of the game,” added Dunphy.
“But I think Arsenal will take a lot more out of this. There’s a long way to go, but the Gunners have started the season in hugely impressive fashion.”
Arsenal play Leiscter next in the league, while City take on Newcastle next weekend
