Mikel Arteta opens up about Pep Guardiola's brave tactical change he didn't expect that cost Arsenal victory at Manchester City

Mikel Arteta has claimed that Pep Guardiola's use of John Stones ruined Arsenal's masterful defensive display at Manchester City.

The Gunners looked to be heading for their first win at the Etihad Stadium in a decade, but a substitute… Stones to score a dramatic equaliser in the eighth minute of added time.

Arsenal They went into the break with a 2-1 lead after coming back from behind, and the visitors saw Leandro Trossard sent off just before the break.

This led to the Premier League title contenders adopting an ultra-defensive approach for the second half, with Ben White replacing Bukayo Saka to put every available defensive player behind the ball.

And it was almost worth it, with Arteta Bringing centre-back Stones on as a striker late in the game (something he had not considered) cost his team a famous victory.

The north London side broke free from a quick corner, which ended with an unmarked Stones who broke Arsenal's hearts at the last moment.

Speaking at his press conference ahead of Wednesday night's Carabao Cup third round match against Bolton, Arteta was asked about his tactics in City.

Stating that he and his team knew their roles and how the second half would unfold, Arteta revealed that the unforeseen use of Stones added to the chaos.

Speaking about his 5-4-0 system, he said: “It's a necessity and what I think (was the right thing to do).

“It wasn't just that, there were other things that I thought we had to do because I expected what they were going to do.

“Until they made the decision to bring Stones in as number 9 and then the context changed a bit.”

Arteta was also pressed for comment on City's complaints about Arsenal's approach after the break.

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Kyle Walker, John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Manuel Akanji have all weighed in on the north London outfit's defensive tactics and use of the 'dark arts'.

This led presenter Piers Morgan to tell talkSPORT that he was adamant the Citizens had been dumped.'surprised' for his beloved Arsenal while hitting Guardiola's team.

But Arteta refused to enter into a discussion, simply stating: “No comment.”

Asked if Arteta's mentality is 'to win at all costs', he later commented: “No, for me, the point is that if we play a game like that and in the game the discussion is about those issues, we are going in a great direction.

“That means we're saving things that are normally associated with them after the games, so that's it, I can't do anything.”

Arteta then promised to continue changing his system, whether offensive or defensive.

He said: “What will not change is my will and what game I want and if I want to play it.

“But if I can't, because we're not good enough or because the opponent forces you to do it, or because of circumstances or if you're outnumbered or whatever happens, then you have to be very good at it for sure.”