Arsenal Come Back Twice, Hold Manchester City to 2-2 Draw in Premier League

Manchester City and Arsenal served up an entertaining contest during Sunday's Premier League action, ending in a 2-2 stalemate.

Leroy Sane gave the visitors an early lead and Sergio Aguero restored the advantage late in the first half, with Arsenal's Theo Walcott striking in between. Shkodran Mustafi equalised again after the break, and neither team really threatened for a late winner.

As shared by Kristof Terreur of HLN, City started the match with an odd formation, which included Raheem Sterling in a central role:

Per the Gunners' official Twitter account, Mesut Ozil was fit to start:

Both teams have a tendency to attack and prioritise possession, so unsurprisingly, the match got off to a fast start. Within the first minutes, David Ospina nearly saw the ball loop into the net after his clearance bounced off Sterling, and Gael Clichy's deflection almost resulted in an own-goal.

The first real chance resulted in a goal, with Kevin De Bruyne sending Sane through with a fantastic pass. Bleacher Report UK couldn't help themselves:

De Bruyne nearly doubled the lead minutes later, hitting the post for the first time in the match. Ospina made a fine save to deny David Silva, with City pushing Arsenal deep into their own half.

The Gunners finally woke up after a poor first 20 minutes, and Ozil put Willy Caballero to work with a weak shot. Nacho Monreal found some space to pull the trigger as well, but his strike flew over the bar.

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Alexis Sanchez curled a shot wide, and Mustafi couldn't get his effort on target, either, but the Gunners kept improving as the half wore on. With five minutes left to play, Walcott took advantage of some dreadful marking and pushed the ball past Caballero.

Former England international Gary Lineker weighed in on the fan protests involving Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger:

City's response was swift, however. De Bruyne's poor luck with the woodwork continued, as his shot took a slight deflection and once again hit the post.

But shortly after, Silva found Aguero in a good position, and the Argentina international slotted the ball home to restore the lead. Bleacher Report's Karl Matchett thought Arsenal's defence was nowhere to be found:

Danny Welbeck wasted the final chance of the half by handling the ball.

Gabriel Paulista replaced Laurent Koscielny to start the second half and almost gave away a chance immediately, with Ospina clearing his poor pass back in time. 

Aguero directed a header just wide of the mark before Mustafi pulled his side level, powering home a header from a perfect corner. More from Lineker:

City went back on the attack, and Fernandinho threatened with a low shot Ospina did well to deal with. 

A poor giveaway from Walcott gave Aguero an opportunity to threaten, but his header didn't trouble Ospina. Sane lost his balance just as he got off a shot, and his strike flew harmlessly out of play.

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While the pace remained high in the second half, chances weren't all that common. City had the momentum entering the final 15 minutes, but overall, neither goalkeeper had too much work to do.

Sports writer Ryan Bailey got distracted by a leaflet some Arsenal fans passed out before the match:

A mistake from Nicolas Otamendi gave Ozil a look on goal, but he didn't commit, and Caballero cleared. Francis Coquelin somehow avoided a second yellow card for a bad tackle on De Bruyne, who didn't help his case by appealing for a card before he even got up.

Silva fired wide after a corner, and Alex Iwobi couldn't keep his shot down, blasting over. A few late half-chances fell City's way, but a winner never seemed likely, and Arsenal held on for a draw.

Per the Gunners' official Twitter account, Wenger was happy with his team's mentality in the comeback:

Pep Guardiola lamented the loss of focus after his team took the lead, per Manchester City's official Twitter account:

City's next outing will be at Chelsea, while the Gunners host West Ham United.