London: Arsenal earned beleaguered manager Arsene Wenger a measure of respite by twice hitting back to hold Manchester City to a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
Pep Guardiola twice saw his City side go ahead, through Leroy Sane and then Sergio Aguero, but Arsenal twice responded via goals from Theo Walcott and Shkodran Mustafi.
Victory would have been a welcome tonic for Wenger, who has come in for heavy criticism from Arsenal's fans, but after four defeats in five Premier League games, the point was welcome.
His side remain seven points below City, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League berth, in sixth place, but they retain a game in hand on them.
City were prevented from reclaiming third place from Liverpool and eating into Chelsea's advantage following the leaders' shock 2-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace.
But City, who have now drawn their last three league games, will have an opportunity to close to within eight points of the summit when they travel to Chelsea on Wednesday.
Wenger again faced protests from some Arsenal fans, this time in the form of an advertising van parked outside the ground and leaflets about the launch of a #NoNewContract social media campaign.
