Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed his frustration at the Arsenal players who repeatedly went down with cramp, as the Gunners tried unsuccessfully to hold onto their lead at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

John Stones equalised for City deep into stoppage time, finally breaking Arsenal's resistance. Mikel Arteta's side played the entire second half with ten men after Leandro Trossard was sent off with a second yellow card in first-half stoppage time.

Both teams were without key players for the match, with Martin Ødegaard absent for Arsenal and Kevin De Bruyne ruled out for City. Guardiola’s side also lost Rodri midway through the first half after the Spanish midfielder suffered a concerning-looking injury.

Guardiola mentioned that he had yet to consult the club’s medical staff to assess the severity of Rodri’s injury. However, he had much to say regarding the opposition’s tactics, seemingly taking a dig at his former assistant, Mikel Arteta.

“I don’t know how many [Arsenal] players went down with cramp, but that can obviously happen in a demanding match,” Guardiola told Sky Sports. Referee Michael Oliver added seven minutes of stoppage time, with further time added when Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber was forced off with cramp during that period. Stones' equaliser came in the eighth minute of added time.

“We crossed and crossed, and we had Ruben [Dias], Manuel [Akanji], Erling [Haaland], but when you cross, they have Declan Rice, William Saliba, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori, so it’s incredibly difficult,” Guardiola continued. “They had ten men behind the ball. In the end, we got what we deserved.”

When asked about Arsenal's alleged time-wasting, Guardiola said, “Perhaps I would have done the same because they were playing with ten men. You’ll have to ask Mikel [Arteta] what the strategy was. They were effective with the long balls to Kai Havertz, who is very strong, and then they’d play for the second balls. In the end, we were patient, created opportunities, and got the goal. That’s all that matters.”

Arteta, on his part, commended his team for their resilience after going down to ten men. Both sides remain unbeaten in the Premier League, though City, rather than Arsenal, finished the weekend at the top of the table following the equaliser.

“I’m incredibly proud of the team. We played the match in a challenging situation, facing the best team in the world,” Arsenal's manager told Match of the Day.

“After what happened, we went 2-1 up – it was a different story, and I prefer not to comment on [Leandro Trossard’s red card].

“Obviously, it’s nothing short of a miracle that we played 56 minutes at the Etihad with ten men. It’s unbelievable what we’ve achieved.”