Manchester City's Bernardo Silva and John Stones took aim at Arsenal's tactics following a fiery 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium last night.

Stones salvaged a point for City with a dramatic 98th-minute equalizer on a day when the Premier League champions found it challenging to break down their title rivals.

City’s players were visibly frustrated by what they viewed as time-wasting tactics from Mikel Arteta's side. Rodri, who left the match with a serious knee injury, was involved in a heated confrontation with Arsenal's bench. Following a shoving match between the players at the final whistle, Silva voiced his displeasure: "There was only one team here to play football. The other pushed the limits of what was acceptable under the referee’s watch."

He expressed disappointment over the result, stating, "We wanted the three points, but I’m proud of how we approached the game. We always aim to win. It all started in the first moments—Rodri was injured after being brought down twice in ten minutes, and we conceded a goal after the referee called our captain and didn’t let him regain his position. Their second goal involved a typical block on our keeper, also overlooked by the referee."

Silva continued to criticize the match officiating, saying, "It’s frustrating to have numerous meetings with the FA at the start of each season, only to see nothing change. They promise to address these issues, but it amounts to nothing."

When asked about the rivalry with Arsenal compared to the one with Liverpool, Silva remarked, "The difference is that Liverpool have won a Premier League and a Champions League; Arsenal haven't. Liverpool always came to compete directly, whereas our matches against Arsenal have felt different."

Stones echoed Silva’s sentiments, noting, "We’ve seen this from them for years. You can call it clever or dirty—either way, it disrupts the flow of the game. It was a challenging afternoon with how they managed play and used tactics not many teams employ."

The tension peaked when Erling Haaland threw the ball at Gabriel’s head after Stones' equalizer, igniting further conflict as Haaland and Thomas Partey clashed moments later.