Arsenal dark arts debate speaks volumes as PGMOL receive clear message amid Man City battle

Arsenal appear to have made quite the impact on a number of Premier League clubs including Manchester City. The Gunners fought relentlessly to take a point off their bitter rivals at Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon, though it would have been all three had John Stones not scored a late equaliser.

The dismissal of Leandro Trossard significantly derailed Mikel Arteta's game plan with the Arsenal boss feeling forced into holding on to what his side already had. That involved Bukayo Saka being subbed off at half time with Ben White coming on in his place.

During the game, Arsenal attempted to run the clock down and disrupt City's momentum as much as possible. Following that, the Gunners have faced some criticism for their approach, though Arteta has defended the decision by using a very extreme example.

"Well, we had to play the game that we had to play," he admitted in a press conference. "The first 10, 15 minutes, we couldn’t with 11vs11. Then we got much better. Then we were thrown in a very different context and did what every team does. They played 30 seconds with 10 men. Look what they did for 30 seconds. It’s normal what they did.

"We had to do it in a different way. We learnt from the past. Unfortunately we’ve been in the same situation a few times. We were in that same situation with Granit [Xhaka] after 38 minutes and we lost 5-0. We’d better learn. If not I would be thick, very thick."

One of the people to launch criticism at Arsenal was Bernardo Silva with the Man City star going on an incredible rant. "There was only one team that came to play football," he brutally admitted after the game. "The other came to play to the limits of what was possible to do and allowed by the referee, unfortunately.

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"But at the end we got a draw, the best we could get considering the context of the last moments of the match. We're not happy as we wanted the three points, but personally I'm happy with the way we came to play and faced the game. I'm glad we always enter the pitch to try to win every match.

"The difference? I don't know," he added when asked about comparisons to the rivalries with Liverpool and Arsenal. "Maybe that Liverpool have already won the Premier League, Arsenal haven't. That Liverpool have won the Champions League, Arsenal haven't.

"Liverpool always faced us face to face to try to win the games, so from this perspective the games against Arsenal haven't been like the ones we had and have against Liverpool. So yes, maybe a different rivalry." It is quite clear that Arsenal are ruffling a few feathers with Silva's comments followed soon after by a major PGMOL update.

According to Tuesday's edition of Mail Sport, some Premier League clubs have expressed their concerns about 'gamesmanship' and Arsenal's repeated use of 'dark arts'. It has also been revealed that the Gunners have sent their sent own grievances to the Premier League's governing body.

Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City are other teams annoyed by the inconsistencies with PGMOL chief Howard Webb set to face clubs at a shareholders meeting, as per The Times. At the end of the day, nothing Arsenal have down is technically wrong, it is just frowned upon.

To get any advantage over City in particular, Arsenal must do everything they can to gain an edge and if that involves continuing these antics then so be it, until some form of serious punishment is dished out.