Arsenal’s current 2-2 draw away at title rivals Manchester Metropolis was one of many nice “backs to the wall” performances in Premier League historical past. Regardless of falling behind on the Etihad, courtesy of Erling Haaland’s early opener, the Gunners rallied all through the latter levels of the primary half. Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori rattled residence a Twenty second-minute equaliser in his full debut, earlier than fellow defender Gabriel Magalhães gave the guests a shock lead on the stroke of halftime.
Heartbroken Gunners
Earlier than Arsenal may head down the tunnel pleased with their work, nevertheless, Leandro Trossard picked up a second yellow card for halting a shortly taken freekick in comparable scenes to those that noticed Declan Rice dismissed earlier within the marketing campaign. That left final season’s runners-up confronted with the unenviable activity of retaining the rampant champions at bay on residence turf for 45 full minutes. However they very almost did it.
With darkish arts aplenty on show, Arsenal made it to damage time with their 2-1 lead intact, having only a handful of touches within the opposition half. Nonetheless, heartbreak was simply across the nook. Metropolis defender John Stones scrambled residence a last-gasp equaliser after David Raya saved from Mateo Kovacic, permitting the hosts a share of the spoils and denying the guests a well-known victory.
It was undeniably spectacular, although. The draw implies that the newest Premier League on-line betting odds make the Blues an excellent cash favorite to safe their fifth title this season. The Gunners, in the meantime, are a +185 contender, and they are going to be buoyed by their defensive heroics, despite the fact that they didn’t stroll away with all three factors. Their efficiency will go down in historical past as maybe the best defensive efficiency the Premier League has ever seen, following within the footsteps of a few of these classics…
Barcelona vs Chelsea – 2012 UEFA Champions League
In 2012, Chelsea confronted the daunting activity of heading to reigning European Champions Barcelona within the UEFA Champions League semi-final, defending a slender 1-0 lead as enormous underdogs. They nonetheless clung to the faint hopes that they may pull off a miracle, however these hopes had been all however extinguished inside a disastrous first half through which targets from Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta, coupled with a pointless John Terry pink card, left Chelsea staring down the barrel.
On the stroke of halftime, nevertheless, Ramires’ elegant chip gave Chelsea a lifeline and the lead within the tie on away targets. That was one thing for the visiting Blues to defend, and defend they did. Within the second stanza, the Blaugrana unleashed a relentless onslaught on their ten-man opponent, throwing every little thing however the kitchen sink at them, with Lionel Messi twice hitting the woodwork – as soon as from the penalty spot.
Petr Čech’s heroics in purpose and a disciplined defensive show from the entire staff stored Chelsea within the recreation, however the contest remained within the stability deep into damage time. That was till the defining second on the loss of life when Fernando Torres latched onto a thumped clearance to interrupt on purpose unchallenged. He duly rounded Victor Valdes and slotted residence, handing Chelsea a 3-2 victory and punching their tickets to the Munich last.
Barcelona vs Inter Milan – 2010 UEFA Champions League
On the semifinal stage two years prior, it was Inter Milan that headed to the Nou Camp, making an attempt to dethrone the Catalonians. In contrast to Chelsea, they’d a two-goal result in defend, however as was the case with the Blues, Jose Mourinho’s facet needed to compete with ten males, following Thiago Motta’s controversial first-half pink card.
Going through the prospect of taking part in with ten males towards Pep Guardiola’s formidable Barcelona, Inter produced a defensive masterclass. The Italians executed a disciplined, tactical efficiency, giving their free-flowing opponents minimal alternatives to bear down on Julio Cesar’s purpose. All through one other second-half onslaught, the Nerazzurri held agency, with their Brazilian goalkeeper in addition to defenders Lucio and Walter Samuel placing in heroic performances.
Barcelona managed to discover a means via deep into damage time via Gerard Pique, but it surely was too little too late. Inter managed to carry on for a well-known 3-2 combination victory, permitting Mourinho to cost across the Nou Camp pitch, finger aloft, indicating that he was certainly The Particular One.
Russia vs Spain – 2018 FIFA World Cup
On the 2018 World Cup, hosts Russia confronted former champions Spain within the Spherical of 16. Getting into the match as underdogs, the host’s possibilities had been slim towards a Spanish staff famend for its possession-based play. Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta had been the midfield orchestrators, whereas striker Diego Costa was one of many match’s prime scorers. And it appeared as if it could be the favourites that may progress when Sergio Ramos and Sergei Ignashevish tangled within the field, with the baller trickling in off the Russian defender.
However the Sbornaya had been within the midst of a fairytale run. They’d certified from the group levels regardless of being the lowest-ranked staff within the match, eliminating Mohamed Salah’s Egypt within the course of. And on the stroke of half time, they had been stage after Artem Gzyuba slotted residence from the penalty spot.
The second half and additional time noticed Spain dominate possession, however Russia’s defence, led by goalkeeper and captain Igor Akinfeev, held agency. The CSKA Moscow synthetic a number of essential saves to make sure that the scores remained stage, and his efficiency reached its peak in the course of the penalty shootout. Akinfeev saved from Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke and former Liverpool striker Iago Aspas handy his facet a memorable victory, sending Moscow’s well-known Luzhniki Stadium into raptures.