Manchester City star Bernardo Silva took a pointed swipe at Arsenal after Sunday’s captivating 2-2 draw, criticising the title hopefuls for not facing his side ‘head on’ at the Etihad.Â
Erling Haaland gave Man City the lead in the early stages with his 10th Premier League goal of the season so far, casually slotting the ball past David Raya after breaking through the Arsenal back line, before the visitors equalised through Riccardo Calafiori’s stunning swerving effort from outside the box.
Arsenal went into the break 2-1 in front thanks to Gabriel Magalhaes’ second header in as many league games but were forced to defend with 10 men for the entirety of the second half after Leandro Trossard was sent off by Michael Oliver on the stroke of half time.
Mikel Arteta opted for a defence-first strategy in the second half, swapping right-back Ben White in for star man Bukayo Saka at the break, and called for Arsenal to camp inside their own area for the rest of the match to hold on to the lead.
The siege almost proved a masterstroke but ultimately failed to hand Arsenal the win, with John Stones netting a last-gasp goal in the 98th minute to rescue a share of the spoils for City.
Man City’s Bernardo Silva aimed a brutal dig at Arsenal following Sunday’s thrilling 2-2 draw
The Man City star appeared to accuse the Gunners of cowardice after the Etihad showdown
Mikel Arteta called for a siege after Arsenal were reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half time
After the match, Silva aimed a brutal dig at the north London club, implying that they were cowards for refusing to Pep Guardiola’s side ‘head on’ in pursuit of victory.
When asked how Arsenal compare to Liverpool, who battled for the title against City for years under former manager Jurgen Klopp, Silva told TNT Sports: ‘Well, perhaps because Liverpool has already won the Premier League and Arsenal hasn’t.
‘Liverpool at that time had also won a Champions League, while Arsenal hasn’t.
‘Liverpool always faced us head-on, to win matches. From that perspective, our games against Arsenal haven’t been like the matches against Liverpool were, and still are.’
City have yet to face Liverpool since the arrival of new head coach Arne Slot, who has enjoyed a solid start to life as Reds boss.Â
Liverpool sit in second place, a point behind league leaders City and one ahead of Arsenal in fourth following the fifth Premier League weekend of the season.
The Arsenal players looked distraught after conceding City’s late equaliser, having worked tirelessly throughout the second half to frustrate the champions from inside their own box
Silva insisted that fellow title hopefuls Liverpool ‘always face us head on, to win matches’Â
The Gunners’ defence has improved considerably under Arteta, who has yet to win the Premier League at the Emirates despite finishing second to City across the last two seasons.
Arsenal boasted the best defence in the league last term and had only conceded once ahead of Sunday’s thriller at the Etihad so far this campaign.
