John Stones frustrated by Arsenal's 'dark arts': 'Call it clever or dirty'

Manchester City defender John Stones criticised Arsenal's time-wasting after the two teams played out a dramatic 2-2 draw on Sunday afternoon.

Stones, who came on as a substitute, equalised in the eighth minute of added time to secure a point for the hosts that keeps them top of the Premier League.

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães gave the visitors a 2-1 lead from a corner, while City goalkeeper Ederson was blocked by Gabriel Martinelli.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Stones said Arsenal's approach to the game could have been interpreted as “dirty”.

“(It was) a difficult afternoon for both teams. They stopped the game and exploited a side of football that not many teams exploit,” he said.

“(They) make it difficult, slow it down, bring the goalkeeper onto the field to get information and we had to control our emotions in those moments.”

Asked if City were frustrated by Arsenal's “dark arts”, Stones replied: “They've been doing it for a number of years and we know to expect it.”

“You can call it clever or dirty, whatever you want, they disrupt the game and mess up the rhythm for everyone. They use it to their advantage and I think we handled it really well.

“It's not easy when things like this happen and you're trying to get going… these little interruptions prevent that, but we've got our emotions under control really well.”

City face Watford in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday before returning to Premier League action at Newcastle United on Saturday.

(James Gill-Danehouse/Getty Images)