Arsenal’s time-wasting strategies during the second half of their 2-2 tie with Manchester City have been defended by Mikel Arteta.

At the end of the first half, Leandro Trossard was given a second yellow card for kicking the ball away, dropping Arsenal to 10 men.

In the second half, Arteta’s team showed tenacity and resilience by tenaciously guarding their area and holding on to a 2-1 lead and a potentially pivotal victory over the champs. However, nine more minutes were added by the referees at the end of the match, and John Stones, a replacement for City, scored with one of the final kicks to secure a thrilling draw.

It was said that the Gunners were using “dark arts” to delay and throw off City’s rhythm by pretending to be injured in an effort to keep them at bay. In the aftermath of the match, City midfielder Bernardo Silva stated, “There was only one team that came to play football.” “Unfortunately, the other player came to play as close to the boundaries as the referee would allow.”

But Arteta maintained they did what any squad would do in the same situation.

“We had to participate in the required game. Arteta spoke about the brief moment in the first half when City faltered after Mateo Kovacic replaced the injured Rodri, saying, “They played 30 seconds with 10 men, and look what they did.”

Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta, left, and Man City counterpart Pep Guardiola.

“Let’s see who is available tomorrow and then we can talk about dark arts. Unfortunately there will be a few players not available… If a player is feigning something then that means he will carry on and he will play. Tomorrow you will find out [who is injured].”

Asked about his post-match confrontation with Erling Haaland, Arteta added: “It was a very emotional game, but they all are in different ways. It’s part of football, part of sport, and after the game we move on.”