Manuel Akanji frustrated by Arsenal's tactical fouling in Manchester City draw

Manuel Akanji, a Manchester City defender, has criticised Arsenal, their title competitors, for purportedly committing deliberate fouls during their goalless match on Sunday. He argued that referee Anthony Taylor should have issued more yellow cards.

The City team expressed frustration after only taking one point from Sunday's match against Arsenal, leading to them being third in the rankings and three points behind leading team Liverpool.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola also shared his thoughts on the tactics used by Arsenal, claiming that their intent to hold on made for a mundane match.

Akanji weighed in on the game as well, suggesting that the referee should have taken more decisive action and handed out more cards.

He expressed, 'I'm puzzled. There was one foul in the first half [from Kai Havertz] that was a very late tackle on Stefan [Ortega]. To me, it's clearly a yellow card. There are some rules, and I think there are clear yellow cards that should be given.'

'I recall the incident with Jorginho when he'd already committed a foul by tackling, and then did it a second time, yet didn't even receive a yellow card for one foul.'

'There were some decisions I couldn't comprehend. They played many long balls and defended with six players in the rear, making it challenging to penetrate. When we did manage to get through, oftentimes they halted us with fouls, and if there's no consequences, it's tough.'

By the end of the game, Arsenal had committed 20 fouls, while Manchester City had only committed nine. Yet, only two players from the visiting team were given yellow cards. Gabriel Jesus was booked for kicking the ball away in the 67th minute and soon after, David Raya was reprimanded for wasting time.

Arsenal's tactics did lead to avoiding a loss at Etihad, allowing them to break an eight-game losing streak at the home of the English champions. They aim to continue their Premier League trophy conquest when they face off against Luton on Wednesday night.