Overview

• Arsenal and Manchester City drew 1-1 at the Emirates as Gabriel Martinelli lobbed Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 90+3rd minute to cancel Erling Haaland’s ninth-minute opener.
• City shifted into an unusually deep shape, moving to a back five and at times a 5-5-0 block that largely frustrated Arsenal and almost secured all three points.
• Pep Guardiola acknowledged Arsenal’s superiority in possession, praised his team’s resilience, and said the conservative setup was situational rather than a new blueprint.
• City captain Bernardo Silva criticised the schedule, noting City played Napoli on Thursday with under three days’ recovery compared to Arsenal’s two extra days after their Tuesday European match.
• Pundits were split on Mikel Arteta’s choices, with criticism for not starting Eberechi Eze and praise from others who pointed to Arsenal’s control despite limited clear chances.