Gabriel Martinelli's injury time equaliser secured a 1-1 draw for Arsenal against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium. The result, snatched in the 93rd minute, salvaged a point for the Gunners who had fallen behind to an early goal from Erling Haaland. The draw leaves Arsenal five points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, while City moves to ninth with seven points after a strange start to their campaign by their standards.
Manchester City took the lead in the ninth minute, a pass from Tijjani Reijnders found Haaland, who finished past goalkeeper David Raya for his 13th goal in eight games for club and country this season. Following the goal, City adopted a defensive approach. According to Opta, the visitors recorded 32.8% possession, the lowest-ever possession average for a Pep Guardiola team in his 601 top-flight league matches.
Arsenal struggled to break down City's defense for long periods, but a double substitution at halftime introduced a new impetus to their attack. Substitutes Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka provided fresh energy, and the home side began to swarm over City. However, with City's defense holding firm, it seemed the game was slipping away from Arsenal until the final moments.
The late equalizer; a long ball over the top from Eze found Martinelli, who lobbed it over an advancing Gianluigi Donnarumma to level the score. Martinelli's goal was his second from the bench in five days, following a goal and an assist against Athletic Bilbao. The draw marked a personal hold for Mikel Arteta, who has now gone five successive league games without defeat against Pep Guardiola.
The result, while a relief for Arsenal, leaves both teams with questions about their title aspirations. Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville commented on the tactical slugfest, stating, "Liverpool may be the winners of this result." The draw is a blow to both clubs, as Liverpool, with a perfect record after five games, now looks ominous in their title defense. City's poor start to the season sees them with only seven points from their opening five league games, their lowest return in 19 years.
