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Hello! Erling Haaland throwing the ball at Gabriel’s head? The title race just got real.
Today we’re talking about Manchester City–Arsenal: an official rivalry.
Plus: former Donald Trump lawyer bids for English fourth-tier club. And have Everton finally secured a buyer?
Modern Classic: Stones goal could prove crucial… already
Stones wheels away after scoring the late equaliser (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
And breathe. You really should because believe it or not, it’s only September. The Premier League season is a mere five matchdays old, but you wouldn’t have guessed as Manchester City and Arsenal fought for their lives yesterday; like the afternoon was do or die.
Stick this down as a classic of the genre — prime-time billing producing prime-time football. Arsenal were seconds from sticking a pin in the Premier League’s timeline by hanging on for one of the competition’s finest victories. John Stones’ 98th-minute equaliser, the last cut in a pulsating 2-2 draw, was befitting of City’s desperate attempt to master 10 men.
The game was shaped by two moments: the early injury to Rodri that stymied City’s wicked impetus and the red card shown to Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard just before half-time.
Trossard’s dismissal created a scenario in which City, trailing 2-1, were free to attack with impunity throughout the second half. Tactically, it was fascinating. Arsenal were never going to simply melt like Anthony Joshua. They went 5-4-0 and then 6-3-0, backs to the wall. City were trapped in a cycle where the ball seemed forever to be at the feet of Ruben Dias 20 yards from goal.
Around the 60th minute, Sky Sports flashed up stats about touches in the opposition half since the interval: City 109, Arsenal two. They call this ‘field tilt’ — the split of territorial dominance in a match — and minus Trossard, Arsenal had none. But just when Pep Guardiola thought the swarm had failed, there was Stones, off the bench, with the final say.
Erling Haaland scores for fun. Stones doesn’t. The latter’s intervention might be as consequential this season as quite a few of Haaland’s goals combined.
A real rivalry begins?
For the past couple of years, City-Arsenal has been a polite rivalry — but it’s getting there. After two ultra-tight title races, there’s no love lost. That was underlined by Haaland pinging the ball against Gabriel’s head (above) after Stones’ deflected shot flew in.
Mikel Arteta was conciliatory in calling City “the best”. Bernardo Silva was less so in taking a pop at Arsenal. Liverpool used to go toe-to-toe with us, Bernardo said. “Liverpool always face us head-on. So yes, maybe a different rivalry.” Salty.
Who walked away happier? City, if truth be told. That was close. But mentally, Arsenal will feel stronger than ever. In terms of the bigger picture, all we can say is this title race is going the distance.
Any other business?
Away from the Etihad, here were the Premier League’s other headlines:
News Round-Up
Tacopina 🤝 Tranmere? Trump’s former lawyer leading consortium to buy club
Across the River Mersey, Tranmere Rovers are condemned to live in the shadow of Liverpool and Everton. I say ‘condemned’. I roomed with a Tranmere fan at university and sleepy as the club might be, they’re happy with their lot.
Things at Prenton Park are about to get a whole lot more exciting, though, or a lot more interesting at any rate. They’re set to be taken over by a consortium fronted by Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Joe Tacopina (yes, you read that right). The process is so far down the line that it only needs EFL approval.
Tranmere are in League Two, England’s fourth division. They’re in the bottom half of it. Not so long ago, a story like this would have been make-believe — but everybody, everybody, wants some English action, from Hollywood to the NFL to Capitol Hill. This is Tranmere’s first mention in TAFC, but absolutely not their last.
Al Fayed Investigation: Fulham examining his time as owner after sexual abuse allegations
(GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Mohamed Al Fayed, the Egyptian businessman, died last year aged 94. He was best known for owning the London department store Harrods and for being the father of Dodi, the partner of Diana, Princess of Wales.
He’s now at the centre of disturbing allegations from women who say he sexually abused them. A BBC investigation brought the claims to light. Dean Armstrong KC, a lawyer representing 37 alleged victims of Al Fayed’s, has described him as “a monster”.
Al Fayed was also the owner of Fulham Football Club between 1997 and 2013. On his watch, they rose to become a Premier League team. None of the allegations currently relate to Fulham, but investigations are examining what went on at Craven Cottage while he was in charge. The club say they are “in the process of establishing whether anyone at the club is, or has been, affected”.
This, however, was Gaute Haugenes, Fulham’s women’s team manager from 2000 to 2001, talking to the BBC about Al Fayed: “It’s not the biggest surprise. We were aware he liked young, blonde girls. So we just made sure that situations couldn’t occur. We protected the players.”
Around The Athletic FC
Quiz Answer
How did you go with Friday’s quiz question: which nine players after Shearer were the quickest to reach 75 goals in the Premier League?
The answers, in order: Harry Kane, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero, Thierry Henry, Robbie Fowler, Les Ferdinand, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Andrew Cole.
Haaland is about to smash his way into first place. His goal against Arsenal yesterday was his 100th for City and his 73rd in the Premier League. The second stat has taken him 71 matches. I give it another fortnight, tops.
Catch A Match (Times ET/UK)
Serie A: Atalanta vs Como, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Paramount+/OneFootball; La Liga: Real Betis v Real Mallorca, 3pm/8pm — ESPN+, Fubo /Premier Sports
And finally…
A week ago, TAFC gave Bolton Wanderers a coating for their playing-out-from-the-back debacle against Huddersfield Town. Clearly keen on a mention of their own, up stepped Huddersfield on Saturday with this shocker against Northampton Town. Other net, boys…
(Top photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
