Man City 2-2 Arsenal: Best Defensive Performances In Recent Memory

Arsenal’s recent 2-2 draw away at title rivals Manchester City was one of the great “backs to the wall” performances in Premier League history. Despite falling behind at the Etihad, courtesy of Erling Haaland’s early opener, the Gunners rallied throughout the latter stages of the first half. Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori rattled home a 22nd-minute equaliser in his full debut, before fellow defender Gabriel Magalhães gave the visitors a shock lead on the stroke of halftime.

Heartbroken Gunners

Before Arsenal could head down the tunnel happy with their work, however, Leandro Trossard picked up a second yellow card for halting a quickly taken freekick in similar scenes to the ones that saw Declan Rice dismissed earlier in the campaign. That left last season’s runners-up faced with the unenviable task of keeping the rampant champions at bay on home turf for 45 full minutes. But they very nearly did it.

With dark arts aplenty on display, Arsenal made it to injury time with their 2-1 lead intact, having just a handful of touches in the opposition half. However, heartbreak was just around the corner. City defender John Stones scrambled home a last-gasp equaliser after David Raya saved from Mateo Kovacic, allowing the hosts a share of the spoils and denying the visitors a famous victory.

It was undeniably impressive, though. The draw means that the latest Premier League online betting odds make the Blues an even money favourite to secure their fifth title this season. The Gunners, meanwhile, are a +185 contender, and they will be buoyed by their defensive heroics, even though they didn’t walk away with all three points. Their performance will go down in history as perhaps the finest defensive performance the Premier League has ever seen, following in the footsteps of some of these classics…

Barcelona vs Chelsea – 2012 UEFA Champions League

In 2012, Chelsea faced the daunting task of heading to reigning European Champions Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-final, defending a slender 1-0 lead as huge underdogs. They still clung to the faint hopes that they could pull off a miracle, but those hopes were all but extinguished inside a disastrous first half in which goals from Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta, coupled with a needless John Terry red card, left Chelsea staring down the barrel.

On the stroke of halftime, however, Ramires’ sublime chip gave Chelsea a lifeline and the lead in the tie on away goals. That was something for the visiting Blues to defend, and defend they did. In the second stanza, the Blaugrana unleashed a relentless onslaught on their ten-man opponent, throwing everything but the kitchen sink at them, with Lionel Messi twice hitting the woodwork – once from the penalty spot.

Petr Čech’s heroics in goal and a disciplined defensive display from the whole team kept Chelsea in the game, but the contest remained in the balance deep into injury time. That was until the defining moment at the death when Fernando Torres latched onto a thumped clearance to break on goal unchallenged. He duly rounded Victor Valdes and slotted home, handing Chelsea a 3-2 victory and punching their tickets to the Munich final.

Barcelona vs Inter Milan – 2010 UEFA Champions League

At the semifinal stage two years prior, it was Inter Milan that headed to the Nou Camp, attempting to dethrone the Catalonians. Unlike Chelsea, they had a two-goal lead to defend, but as was the case with the Blues, Jose Mourinho’s side had to compete with ten men, following Thiago Motta’s controversial first-half red card.

Facing the prospect of playing with ten men against Pep Guardiola’s formidable Barcelona, Inter produced a defensive masterclass. The Italians executed a disciplined, tactical performance, giving their free-flowing opponents minimal opportunities to bear down on Julio Cesar’s goal. Throughout another second-half onslaught, the Nerazzurri held firm, with their Brazilian goalkeeper as well as defenders Lucio and Walter Samuel putting in heroic performances.

Barcelona managed to find a way through deep into injury time through Gerard Pique, but it was too little too late. Inter managed to hold on for a famous 3-2 aggregate victory, allowing Mourinho to charge around the Nou Camp pitch, finger aloft, indicating that he was indeed The Special One.

Russia vs Spain – 2018 FIFA World Cup

At the 2018 World Cup, hosts Russia faced former champions Spain in the Round of 16. Entering the match as underdogs, the host’s chances were slim against a Spanish team renowned for its possession-based play. Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta were the midfield orchestrators, while striker Diego Costa was one of the tournament’s top scorers. And it looked as though it would be the favourites that would progress when Sergio Ramos and Sergei Ignashevish tangled in the box, with the baller trickling in off the Russian defender.

But the Sbornaya were in the midst of a fairytale run. They had qualified from the group stages despite being the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, eliminating Mohamed Salah’s Egypt in the process. And on the stroke of half time, they were level after Artem Gzyuba slotted home from the penalty spot.

The second half and extra time saw Spain dominate possession, but Russia’s defence, led by goalkeeper and captain Igor Akinfeev, held firm. The CSKA Moscow man made several crucial saves to ensure that the scores remained level, and his performance reached its peak during the penalty shootout. Akinfeev saved from Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke and former Liverpool striker Iago Aspas to hand his side a memorable victory, sending Moscow’s famous Luzhniki Stadium into raptures.