Nichols travels with Arsenal squad as John Stones goal salvages dramatic draw for Man City

Published: September 22, 2024
Nichols travels with Arsenal squad as John Stones goal salvages dramatic draw for Man City

Teenage Nigerian right-back Josh Nichols was named in Arsenal's provisional squad for their Premier League clash against defending champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. 

According to Arsenal youth team expert Jeorge Bird, Nichols traveled as the extra player.

Nichols was promoted to Arsenal's first team on a temporary basis, with fullbacks Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) and Kieran Tierney (hamstring) unavailable for selection due to injuries.

He would have been considered for a role on the bench, assuming any of the outfield players named in the matchday squad suffered an injury in the pre-match warm up.

For the sixth game on the bounce in all competitions since the start of the season, Ethan Nwaneri, the youngest player in history to make an appearance in the top flight of English football, was named in Arsenal's gameday squad. 

However, his chances of getting game time reduced after Leandro Trossard was sent off for a second bookable offense after delaying a restart.

Manager Mikel Arteta responded to the red card by sacrificing his star player Bukayo Saka in favor of Ben White at the start of the second half.

Arsenal were very close to getting a win but substitute John Stones was the unlikely hero for Manchester City, scoring from close range to salvage a late, late dramatic draw for the Citizens. 

Erling Haaland opened the scoring inside ten minutes, only for Riccardo Calafiori to equalize with a brilliant finish from outside the box.

Gabriel Magalhães headed past Ederson after losing Kyle Walker to give Arsenal the lead in the first minute of first half stoppage time, but the Gunners were denied all three points despite their impressive defensive display in the second half.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

Photo Credit: arsenal.com

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