Arsenal show resilience in title showdown as Erling Haaland scores 100th goal for Man City – Hits and misses

Arsenal resilience stands them in good stead in title hunt

The debate will go on as to which team benefits best from a draw – league leaders Man City who remain top or Arsenal, two points further back, who stay firmly in the early title hunt.

But there is a lot Mikel Arteta’s side can be proud of. While City left them on their knees at full-time, they should remain proud of a display that few could manage.

Unlike a certain Mr Joshua the night before, Arsenal took blow after blow and remained unbowed and unbeaten. Erling Haaland’s opener meant the Gunners trailed on the road for the first time in 2024, but they found the resilience to stay in the game then turn it on its head.

Then, after Leandro Trossard’s sending off, many thought Arsenal would collapse in the second half against the best team, best striker and best forward line in the world. Arteta called it a miracle his side kept the scoreline the same until the 98th minute.

Arsenal now have seven points from a possible nine in away games against Aston Villa, Tottenham and City. They are still unbeaten despite over 100 minutes negotiated this season with 10 players.

As long as they remain a team this hard to beat, they will be in the title race right until the very end, no matter who this draw was better for.
Sam Blitz

Unstoppable Haaland brings up a century

Given all of the drama that followed it, Haaland’s ninth-minute opener was largely forgotten about during Man City’s gripping draw with Arsenal at the Etihad.

As everyone with an interest in the Premier League has come to know over the last two seasons and the early stages of this one, the Norwegian scores goals at what is becoming an alarming rate.

Five league games in, he has 10 already and is now the first player in Premier League history to reach 10 goals in as few as five games from the start of a season in the competition. If he continues at this rate – an average of two per game – he will get 76 in the league alone this term.

The poked finish against the Gunners will go down in history, though. It was Haaland’s 100th for the club, a milestone he reached in just 105 games. Sixty of those have now come in just 52 games at the Etihad.

Sky Sports’ Paul Merson was full of praise after the final whistle. “He is so clever,” he said. “His brain going forward, his runs and his finishing are off the chart. He is phenomenal and I don’t think he gets the all-round respect. There’s no one like this man.”

Do not expect the superlatives to end there – Haaland seems to only just be getting going again.
Dan Long

Welbeck rolls back the years

Goals from free-kicks are a rare breed these days in the Premier League. Long gone are the days of David Beckham racking up multiple goals a season from a dead-ball.

There were only 11 free-kicks scored in the entirety of last season. There were 27 in the 2014/15 season. But we have our first of this Premier League campaign courtesy of an unlikely source in Brighton’s Danny Welbeck.

It was not exactly a Premier League classic despite at first glance it looking quite aesthetically pleasing – the blame was firmly at Forest ‘keeper Matz Sels’ door.

“The goalkeeper should be fined a week’s wages,” blasted Sky Sports’ Roy Keane.

“He’s taken a gamble leaning to his right. He can’t be beaten on that side.”

Welbeck, who was excellent again in the Brighton forward line, rolling back the years in every way.
Lewis Jones

Gritty Forest find a way

Nottingham Forest earned a point at Brighton the hard way. They led, fell behind, ripped up their first-half plan, equalised and then hung on with 10 players. They remain unbeaten after five games.

The visitors frustrated Brighton for 40 minutes but conceded two quick goals. Nuno Espirito Santo reacted by making three changes at the break which initially made little impact.

His fourth substitute just after the hour did change things. Forest finally sprung behind the high Brighton defensive line and Jota Silva teed up fellow substitute Ramon Sosa for a tap-in.

Morgan Gibbs-White needlessly left Forest in the lurch late on by chopping down Joao Pedro with a reckless sliding challenge.

Forest have lost six points from winning positions – only Everton (8) have lost more – yet they found a way to rescue a draw on the south coast.