Bernardo Silva calls out fixture congestion after City-Arsenal draw

Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva accused fixture schedulers of creating an unfair disadvantage after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, saying the short turnaround from their midweek Champions League win left City less able to compete in one of the season's most important matches. City had beaten Napoli at the Etihad on Thursday, and kicked off in north London roughly 66 hours later, while Arsenal had played their European opener earlier in the week, leaving them with a noticeably longer recovery window.

Erling Haaland put City ahead in the first half, but Gabriel Martinelli struck in the third minute of stoppage time to salvage a point for Arsenal. Guardiola had named an unchanged side from the Napoli game and his team fought to hold on, but Silva said the condensed schedule affected his players' physical condition and contributed to the result. Silva argued that defender Abdukodir Khusanov sustained an injury because of the quick turnaround, and he repeatedly called for "common sense" in scheduling ahead of high-profile fixtures.

"If we lost, I would not say this," Silva told reporters. "But the reality is we cannot come into...