Martinelli denies City as Arsenal snatch late draw

Arsenal 1 - 1 Manchester City

Gabriel Martinelli scored a stoppage-time equaliser as Arsenal drew with Manchester City in a hard-fought Premier League game.

Author | Macca

Stadium | Emirates Stadium

Manchester City struck first through Erling Haaland, who calmly rolled the ball past David Raya to finish a ruthless counterattack.

Arsenal pressed hard after the break in search of an equaliser and their persistence paid off deep into stoppage time, when Gabriel Martinelli clipped a deft finish over Gianluigi Donnarumma to send the home crowd into raptures.

Before that, Mikel Arteta’s side had come close through Martín Zubimendi, whose effort from the edge of the area whistled just over, while Eberechi Eze drew a sharp stop from Donnarumma.

City remained dangerous on the break throughout, with Jeremy Doku a constant outlet down the wing. In the closing stages, Pep Guardiola attempted to shut the game down by moving to a back five, but Arsenal’s late surge broke through when Martinelli latched on to Eze’s perfectly timed pass to snatch a dramatic point.

Guardiola falls just short in attempt to see out the game 

In Erling Haaland, Manchester City have a striker in irrepressible form and it seemed his goal would prove decisive until Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time equaliser rescued Arsenal at the Emirates.

Haaland, who now tops the Premier League scoring charts with six goals in five games, began and ended City’s opener, winning the ball deep in his own half before linking with Tijjani Reijnders and slotting calmly past David Raya. The Norwegian’s scoring streak has extended across competitions, with goals in Europe and a glut for his country during the recent international break.

READ MORE | City fans analyse home win over Napoli

City were sharp and aggressive in the opening period, pressing Arsenal into mistakes and carving chances, with Reijnders drawing a fine save from Raya. But Pep Guardiola shifted to a defensive set-up after the interval, deploying Nathan Aké in a makeshift back five and even withdrawing Haaland for Nico González as City looked to protect their lead.

Arsenal pushed relentlessly and were rewarded in the 93rd minute when Martinelli latched on to a through ball and lifted a superb finish over Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The 1-1 draw leaves City already eight points adrift of Liverpool, who have opened the season with five straight victories. Neither Guardiola nor Mikel Arteta will see this as a satisfying result, particularly with Liverpool setting such a punishing pace.