16' Rodri Injury

A football injury expert has dropped a worrying verdict on the knee injury suffered by Manchester City star Rodri in his side's 2-2 draw against Arsenal.

The Spaniard went down just 16 minutes into the match after a collision with Thomas Partey inside the area.

He looked in significant pain and required treatment, before signalling to the bench that he could not continue.

Rodri then limped off and was replaced by Mateo Kovacic, with the injury potentially being a seismic blow to City if serious.

The way in which the Spaniard went down - and a subsequent replay of the incident - quickly concerned City fans over the extent of the influential midfielder's injury.

Now, football injury analyst Physio Scout has given a detailed analysis on Twitter of what they believe Rodri's injury is - and it could be the worst possible news for City fans.

They believe that the change in direction of the knee after contact with Partey means he has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in his right knee.

The tweet reads: "Via video analysis, we believe it's an ACL tear (+/- meniscus injury), as right knee shifts into knee valgus, direction change and a slight tibia bone shift.

Scans will be necessary to confirm the injury. Best case here is that it's just a meniscus injury, but the injury did not look good. Hopefully, he avoids an ACL injury at all costs here."

Twitter/@PhysioScout

A meniscus (or knee cartilage) injury usually occurs from twisting, and while far less serious than an ACL tear, can still take around two months to fully recover from if the meniscus is torn.

Speaking after the match, City manager Pep Guardiola said: "Rodri is strong. He leaves the pitch in this action because he felt something, otherwise Rodri stays there.

It happened in the first minutes. These games with Arsenal are like that, and we have to handle it. We did it. We did really good things."

45+' Trossard Red Card

Leandro Trossard red card: Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta furious with referee Michael Oliver's decision vs Man City

Mikel Arteta, speaking after Arsenal's 2-2 draw at Manchester City: "We were more efficient and went 2-1 up and then there were two incidents, very similar, one in particular, but had a very different outcome which then forces you to have a game which nobody wants to watch."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was furious with referee Michael Oliver's decision to send Leandro Trossard off for kicking the ball away in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City - adding it is "really, really worrying" to see multiple red cards for these offences.

The Gunners were heading into half-time with a 2-1 comeback lead at the Etihad Stadium when Trossard - already on a booking for a foul on Savinho - was shown a second yellow card for fouling Bernardo Silva, then kicking the ball away.

Arsenal felt aggrieved not only due to the harshness of the punishment - but also due to the fact that City winger Jeremy Doku went unpunished for a similar incident earlier in the game.

It was the second time Arsenal have been on the receiving end of this second yellow card offence, with Declan Rice sent off against Brighton on August 31 in a similar incident.

Arteta said he was "amazed" after that Rice call - as, like Doku, Brighton forward Joao Pedro earlier went unpunished for kicking the ball away - and believes the game against City became a contest that "nobody wants to watch" after Trossard saw red.

Trossard was sent off after picking up a second booking for kicking the ball away. "We were more efficient and went 2-1 up and then there were two incidents, very similar, one in particular, but had a very different outcome which then forces you to have a game which nobody wants to watch," said Arteta.

"I think it's very clear. Very obvious. Hopefully what 100 per cent of what people thinks. It's not my job to come here and judge what happened. My job is to survive in the most difficult environment you can throw in football for 55 minutes. And try to get things done to survive. That's my job, the rest is not my job."

Arteta was unhappy with the small amount of time between Oliver blowing his whistle for the foul and Trossard kicking the ball away, as he felt the Belgian did not have a chance to react to it.

Referee Oliver was also a figure of controversy when Arsenal and City met for the first time last season, when the official failed to send off Mateo Kovacic at the Emirates Stadium despite two very rough challenges, including one when the Croatian was already booked.

"Anyone that has played football or any sport [can see] it's less than a second. Less than a second. The previous one [Doku] is more than a second. That's it, simple," he said.

The red card left Arsenal with an "impossible" task - according to Arteta - to keep out City at the Etihad Stadium with 10 players. John Stones eventually scored a stoppage-time equaliser after a half of valiant defending from the Gunners, and Arteta admitted pride in his team despite two more dropped points.

"It's impossible," said Arteta about the challenge his team had in the second half. "It's very hard already against 11 players, impossible. Because we are put under pressure to defend with six in our box time and time and time after time. That's it."

90+' Haaland vs Gabriel

Erling Haaland was seen hurling the ball at Arsenal defender Gabriel following Manchester City's dramatic last-minute equaliser.

Arsenal were on the verge of a major victory at the Etihad despite playing the second half with only ten men. However, substitute John Stones snatched a point in the eighth minute of stoppage time, making it 2-2. Haaland—who scored his 100th goal for Manchester City earlier—went largely unnoticed as he retrieved the ball from the net.

Instead of taking it to the centre circle, Haaland threw the ball at Arsenal defender Gabriel, who had his back turned and his shirt pulled over his head in frustration. Whether the throw was intentional or not, tensions boiled over after the goal and continued past the final whistle, with both players visibly angry at each other.

1. Vinícius Júnior

Stats: 26 goals, 11 assists

• La Liga title
• Spanish Super Cup
• Champions League

2. Rodri

Stats: 10 goals, 14 assists

• Premier League title
• UEFA Super Cup
• Euros 2024
• Euro Player of the Tournament

3. Lautaro Martínez

Stats: 35 goals, 8 assists

• Serie A title
• Italian Super Cup
• Copa America
• Serie A Golden Boot
• Copa America Golden Boot

How is the Ballon d'Or Winner Decided?

The Ballon d'Or winner is decided through a voting process organized by the French magazine France Football. A panel of international journalists, representing various countries, casts votes for their top five players. The criteria for voting include:

• Individual and team performance over the season.
• The player's talent and fair play.
• The player's career as a whole.

Each journalist ranks their top five players, with points awarded based on their ranking (6 points for 1st place, 4 for 2nd, 3 for 3rd, 2 for 4th, and 1 for 5th). The player with the highest overall points wins the prestigious award. The 2024 Ballon d'Or will consider performances across domestic leagues, international tournaments (like the UEFA Champions League and Euros), and other significant competitions like Copa America.

Prediction: Who Will Win the Ballon d'Or 2024?

Given the performances of the top contenders, Lautaro Martínez has a strong chance of winning the Ballon d'Or 2024. With 35 goals, winning the Serie A Golden Boot, leading Argentina to victory in the Copa America, and securing the Serie A title, his achievements on both individual and team levels make him a formidable candidate for the award.

However, competition from Rodri and Vinícius Júnior remains fierce, especially with Rodri's key role in Manchester City's treble and Spain's Euro 2024 triumph.