Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber became the first Premier League players on record to fail to complete a single pass in a game while playing more than 89 minutes in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City.
The Gunners went 2-1 up late in the first half but lost Leandro Trossard to a controversial red card moments before the interval and sat back to protect their lead in the second half, only being undone by John Stones’ 98th-minute equaliser.
By the time the final whistle blew, neither Havertz nor Timber had successfully completed a single pass – the first time any outfield player has failed to do so since records began in 2003.
Havertz, who started in attack and played the full duration of the game, misplaced all five of his attempted passes, while Timber failed to connect with any of his six passes before leaving the field in the 90th minute.
Arsenal completed a total of 148 passes across the full game, compared to City‘s 644, as they sat back and defended their lead.
City defender Stones did not hide his frustration towards Arsenal’s approach to the game after the final whistle.
“They’ve done it for a few years and we know to expect that,” he said. “You can call it clever, or dirty – whichever way you want to put it. They break up the game, and obviously it upsets the rhythm for everyone. They use it for their advantage and I thought we dealt with it really well.
“It’s not easy when those things are happening and you’re trying to gain momentum, you’re trying to get a foot in the game and get above them. Those little stoppages stop that, and I thought we dealt with it really well.
“It was a difficult afternoon I think for both teams; how they stopped the play, how they used the side of football that not many teams do, make it difficult, slow it down, get the keeper on the floor to get some information on.”
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