Erling Haaland twists knife in Arsenal's wound after Manchester City's late equaliser

Erling Haaland rubbed salt in Arsenal's wound at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon by firing the ball into the back of Gabriel's head after John Stones had equalised for the hosts in the 98th minute.

The Gunners produced a masterful 10-man defence in the second half after Leandro Trossard was sent off for a second yellow card late in the first half for kicking the ball when his team were 2-1 up.

Stones then slotted home a late header, helping City maintain their unbeaten start to the season and return to the top of the Premier League table after Liverpool temporarily knocked them off their perch following their win over Bournemouth on Saturday.

Haaland scored the first goal against Arsenal by placing the ball past David Raya after being set up by Savinho.

But the home side suffered a blow just before half-time when midfielder Rodri was forced off after a collision with Thomas Partey. And their misfortune was compounded moments later when Riccardo Calafiori curled a sumptuous strike past Ederson to equalise.

Gabriel powered home a close-range header to give the north London giants a 2-1 lead in the first minute of added time at the end of the first half, with Trossard given the marching orders before the half-time whistle.

The visitors had to fend off a flurry of City attacks after the break as Pep Guardiola's side tried to capitalise on their numerical advantage. And they thought they had done enough until Stones stepped up to equalise with the final spot-kick.

Haaland has been engaged in a fierce battle with Arsenal centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel throughout the competition, with the Gunners pair coming out on top more often than not.

But the Norwegian striker took the opportunity to annoy Gabriel one last time by collecting the ball in the back of the net after his team had equalised and fiercely throwing it with both hands towards the back of the Brazilian defender's head. The defender was standing with his shirt pulled down over his face at the time.

The incident appeared to spark a brawl between the two teams, with City and Arsenal stars clashing. Haaland then exchanged words with former City striker Gabriel Jesus, who came on as a late substitute.

The result leaves City one point ahead of Liverpool at the top of the table on 13 points, with Arsenal in fourth on 11 points.

After the game, City hero Stones said: “I came on and tried to get in the box to cross more. One of them landed on me and luckily I put it in the back of the net. I'm really pleased to get that goal like that.”