Breaking News Erling Haaland scores 100th Manchester City goal in controversial game against title rival Arsenal. CNN News
Breaking News Erling Haaland scores 100th Manchester City goal in controversial game against title rival Arsenal. CNN News
(CNN)_The 2024-25 season may be in its infancy, but several of Europe’s biggest clubs are beginning to see where they stand.
There were some high-profile games over the weekend, with multiple results having an impact on who will emerge to form the early-season title races.
Here’s a look back at some of the biggest matches from across the continent.
England’s Premier League.
Arsenal has established itself over the past two seasons as the primary contender to Manchester City’s dominance in the Premier League, but fell just short in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns.
The two sides met at City’s Etihad Stadium on Sunday with both teams eager to strike first in this year’s title race.
It was City that landed the first blow, with superstar striker Erling Haaland netting his 100th goal for the club inside 10 minutes – the Norwegian only joined the team in the summer of 2022.
Things quickly went south for Pep Guardiola’s team though, with standout midfielder Rodri being substituted 21 minutes in after suffering what could be a serious injury, before Riccardo Calafiori equalized with his first goal for Arsenal. The Gunners then made use of their set-piece ability, as Gabriel Magalhães rose highest to nod home a corner, giving his squad the lead.
It was an action-packed first half, but the biggest talking point was still to come. Just before half-time, Arsenal attacker Leandro Trossard committed a foul before kicking the ball across the pitch, earning a controversial second yellow card.
European soccer roundup: Erling Haaland scores 100th Manchester City goal in controversial game against title rival Arsena. Report by CNN News
After being reduced to 10 players, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta adopted a highly defens
ive shape to try and protect the lead. The visitors held out for almost the entire second half, but City defender John Stones broke the North Londoners’ barrier in the final minute of stoppage time, firing home from inside the box to make it 2-2.
There were some tense moments on the pitch at some points during the game, with City players expressing their frustration after the match with what they believed to be deliberate attempts by Arsenal to disrupt the flow of the game. Defender Kyle Walker described their opponents’ actions as the “dark arts” to BBC Radio 5 Live and said the squad was “frustrated.”
“They slow the game down,” added Stones, speaking to BBC Sport. “They get the keeper on the floor, so they can get some information onto the pitch. We had to control our emotions during those tough times.
“I wouldn’t say they have mastered it, but they have done it for a few years now, so we knew to expect that. You can call it clever or dirty, whichever way you want to put it, but they break up the game which upsets the rhythm.”
Both sides remain undefeated to start the season with City in top spot on 13 points while Arsenal is two points behind in fourth.
