Arsenal and Manchester City played out a dramatic 1-1 draw on Sunday, with the two Premier League rivals unable to be separated through 98 or so minutes. Erling Haaland had given the visitors an early lead, before Pep Guardiola remarkably decided to park the bus to try and sneak the win. Those efforts went up in smoke in added time as Gabriel Martinelli scored to clinch a point for the Gunners.
Having both slipped up domestically already this season, this wasn't quite a 'must win' affair for either side, but definitely more of a 'must not lose'. In the end, perhaps a draw in which neither team showed much attacking endeavour will please both parties.
City seemed content to sit in and create chances on the break, while Arsenal didn't exactly throw the kitchen sink at their visitors in order to force the leveller. It was a pretty just outcome and neither can really have any complaints about how it ended.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Emirates…
AFPWINNER: Erling Haaland
The ridiculousness of Haaland has become too normalised. He already leads the Premier League Golden Boot standings with five goals from five games this season, two more than anyone else in the division, and has 13 in all competitions for club and country. Remember, we're still over a week away from the beginning of October.
There's also a narrative that suggests the Norwegian bagsman doesn't enjoy playing against the usually formidable duo of William Saliba and, more notably, Gabriel Magalhaes. Yet on this occasion, it was Haaland who prevailed. Inside the opening ten minutes, Gabriel pushed high into the City half as Arsenal looked to squeeze the most out of attack, but Guardiola's side were able to quickly release their striker on the break. Without the Brazilian defender in his wake, he streaked past Saliba to pick his spot from well inside Arsenal's 18-yard box, and soon enough the ball was in the net.
City's plan seemed to be to find Haaland in transition at every possible moment, and he so nearly iced the game with a similar chance early in the second half, only this time his low shot was saved by David Raya. When the No.9 went up on the fourth official's board to signal he was being substituted, Haaland had a face like thunder with Guardiola withdrawing his only out-and-out goal threat.
Nevertheless, Haaland reminded everyone why he, nobody else, is the league's premier striker. If it's not him, it certainly wasn't his opponent in the red corner…
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Viktor Gyokeres
Even if all add-ons are met, Arsenal will not have spent more than £64 million on Viktor Gyokeres. In this market, that's quite a deal. Strikers who have a track record of scoring goals usually go for, well, in the case of Gyokeres' Sweden partner Alexander Isak, nearly double that. As it turns out, though, maybe there's a reason why the Gunners were able to get him at such a price.
Gyokeres, 27, has plundered three goals in his opening five Premier League matches, his first set of appearances in a top-five league across Europe. Against City, though, he certainly looked like someone who wasn't used to competing at this level, ending the day with zero shots and one failed swipe of a low cross right through the corridor of uncertainty.
Arteta said at his press conference that he was not particularly worried about Gyokeres' performance as City are just that good a team and he very nearly came close to actually taking a shot. It's not an answer that convinced its listeners. Gyokeres may sweep up against the fodder of the Premier League, but he's seriously struggled in his most demanding of tests thus far.
Getty Images SportWINNER: Gabriel Martinelli
In better news for Arsenal, Martinelli is back to showing the form that had Jurgen Klopp once describe him as the 'talent of the century'. That's a real quote, and in fairness, that's how brilliant the Brazilian looked when he first arrived on English shores.
For a multitude of reasons, be they physical, technical or tactical, Martinelli has regressed over the last couple of seasons. After scoring 15 goals during 2022-23, he's failed to even reach double figures in the two Premier League campaigns since. Beyond that, he's brought the ire of home fans for constantly dribbling down dead ends and into traffic.
Arteta has found another use for Martinelli, however, christening him as a 'finisher' – modern-day speak for a 'super sub'. Against tired legs, the rapid winger can make the opposition pay with such dynamism. He scored off the bench in Tuesday's win at Athletic Club, and an even better goal followed against City, darting in behind and lobbing the sizeable Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure a draw.
Martinelli is a beloved figure at Arsenal, and it's important for the club to keep him onside even if he isn't starting. You can criticise Arteta for various aspects of his management, but he's handled this case superbly so far this season.
Getty Images SportLOSER: Pep Guardiola & Mikel Arteta
This was not a game that either manager will want to remember come the end of the season. Both sides were far from their best on this occasion, and that can at least partly be attributed to the guys prowling the touchline.
Arteta's team selection quickly came into question, deciding to start the languid Leandro Trossard on the wing and a midfield three – Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi – void of creativity. When pressed about that trio post-match, Arteta gave the snarky retort of: "No one asked me about the midfield in Bilbao."
For Guardiola, this was the lowest possession a team of his has ever recorded in a top-flight game. . The magic number was 33%, though he insisted he was forced into these tactics by two factors. Firstly, the quick turnaround from Thursday's Champions League win against Napoli, which itself came off the back of last Sunday's Manchester derby, meant City couldn't play with the intensity they normally would. Secondly, the Catalan coach praised Arsenal for forcing him into such a game plan. That scans, but taking off Haaland for a defensive midfielder in Nico Gonzalez on 76 minutes and ending the game with Savinho up front doesn't.
Even the best managers have their off days. This encounter proved that more than any other this Premier League season.
