Arsenal 1 – 1 Manchester City
Gabriel Martinelli grabbed a crucial equaliser in the third minute of added time to earn his team a point.
Manchester City had looked on course for victory after an early strike from Erling Haaland. Pep Guardiola’s side kept Arsenal’s attacks at bay with a solid defence for most of the game, but Martinelli’s brilliant late finish broke their resistance. The Brazilian forward’s goal spared Arsenal from defeat.
The highly anticipated Premier League clash between two title contenders ended 1-1 on Sunday.
Defending champions Liverpool top the table with 15 points from five wins. Arsenal have climbed to second place with 10 points from three wins and one draw, the same tally as Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth.
City, meanwhile, sit ninth with 7 points from two wins and a draw in five games. After last season’s struggles, Guardiola’s team are once again facing difficulties.
At the Emirates, Arsenal had 68% possession and took 12 shots, three of them on target. City managed just five shots, but three were on goal.
The game started at a slow pace until City struck on a swift counter in the ninth minute. Receiving the ball in his own half, Haaland surged forward and, after picking up a pass from Tijani Reijnders on the edge of the box, rifled a low shot into the net. It was the first open-play goal Arsenal had conceded this season — and the earliest they’ve allowed one in the league since September 2024, also scored by Haaland in the ninth minute.
Arsenal struggled for chances early on, failing to register a shot in the first 30 minutes of a Premier League game for the first time since April 2021. Their first effort came in the 32nd minute when Noni Madueke headed wide.
Trailing at the break, Arsenal came out attacking in the second half and piled pressure on City’s defence. In the 48th minute, Martin Zubimendi narrowly missed the target. Two minutes later, a fierce shot from Eberechi Eze forced an instinctive save from Gianluigi Donnarumma through a crowded box.
Haaland had a golden chance to double the lead in the 57th minute but fired straight at David Raya from close range. In trying to clear the loose ball, Eze’s shot deflected off Declan Rice and almost dipped under the crossbar.
Arsenal’s persistence finally paid off in the third minute of added time. Even with five defenders on the pitch, City couldn’t hold out. Eze’s pass was met first time by Martinelli, who swept the ball into the net.
Neither side created any clear chances after that, and the game ended level.
