Arsenal's solid undefeated run to open the season will continue on for at least one more week. They went down in the first half against Manchester City, but performed well in the second half and grabbed a deserved equalizer at the Ethiad Stadium. Laurent Koscielny scored the Gunners' goal on a corner kick, securing a 1-1 draw.
In the first half, Arsenal had more of the possession and a few clear chances, but failed to make the most of them. In the 13th minute, Keiran Gibbs played ball towards the back post and Lukas Podolski that looked like it caught him between two minds, as it never got too close to either. Gervinho ruined Arsenal's best chance a few minutes later, taking an awful first touch on a great through ball by Aaron Ramsey. It was the first of many squandered chances by Gervinho, who had a poor afternoon.
The first 20 minutes belonged to Arsenal, but Manchester City began to assert themselves and take a bit more control of the game over the next 25. A nice five-minute spell of sustained pressure paid off for City in the 40th minute, when they won a corner kick that led to their only goal. Joleon Lescott scored it with a header after finding a hole between defenders, and Vito Mannone was late to react.
City replaced Scott Sinclair with Jack Rodwell at the half and it was unclear if the switch was fitness-related, tactical, or both. They looked like the better side to start the half, but also looked very content to sit on their lead, which Arsenal eventually took advantage of. The final 20 minutes was all Gunners, and City were lucky to not concede more than once. Arsenal brought Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott off the bench, and the Gunners looked more lively after they came on.
In the 81st minute, Santi Cazorla forced an absolutely brilliant save from Joe Hart with a stinging shot from outside of the penalty area. Unfortunately for City, they couldn't deal with the ensuing corner. After the Gunners' initial effort was blocked, Koscielny jumped on the rebound and scored from close range to equalize.
The final minutes were hectic, with both teams generating chances to win the game. Sergio Aguero missed a good chance in the 85th minute following a save by Mannone on Vincent Kompany. In stoppage time, Gervinho had a brilliant chance to score a famous winner for Arsenal, but sent his shot a mile over the crossbar.