English Premier League title contenders Arsenal and Manchester City clashed yesterday in one of the biggest fixtures of the weekend
Guardiola’s team finished the game with an astonishing 32.8% possession
This is the lowest ball possession that a side managed by the Spaniard has recorded in 601 top flight matches

English Premier League title contenders Arsenal and Manchester City clashed yesterday in one of the biggest fixtures of the weekend.

Manchester City were denied what would have been a superb victory by Gabriel Martinelli’s injury time goal. The Cityzens took the lead in the first half after a brilliant play by Erling Haaland which ended in him scoring the goal. The Norwegian started the move for the goal in his own half by winning the ball and then passing it to summer signing Tijjani Reijnders before beating Gabriel on pace. Reijnders then passed the ball back to Haaland, who controlled it before finding the bottom corner with his right foot.

Arsenal were the most dominant team in the encounter which was attack vs defend. Pep Guardiola’s side returned for the second half with the aim of protecting their lead and walking away with all three points. The Spaniard set his team to a 5-4-1 formation and they got more defensive as the clock ticked on.

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Guardiola withdrew Phil Foden and goalscorer Haaland, bring on more defensive players. However, the hosts looked more determined for a goal and City were really struggling against Arsenal’s press. Guardipla switched to a 5-5-0 formation in the 76th minute in an attempt to protect his side’s vital lead.

When the fourth official showed seven minutes of stoppage time on his board, it was a nightmare for City and an opportunity to further push forward for Mikel Arteta’s men. Eventually, the hosts had the breakthrough they were looking for in the 93rd minute when Eberechi Eze saw Gabriel Martinelli’s run and lobbed the ball to him. The Brazilian, who seemed to struggle on the pitch last season, redeemed himself in style by chipping the ball above Gianluigi Donnarumma to level the scores.

The Emirates erupted and the celebrations were wild. Even though it was not the result the Gunners wanted, scoring a last-gasp goal to earn a vital point is crucial indeed. The result means that Arteta is the first manager to go five consecutive league matches without defeat against the tactical genius Pep Guardiola. His Arsenal side has managed two wins and drew the other three across their last five Premier League meetings.

Guardiola’s team finished the game with an astonishing 32.8% possession. This is the lowest ball possession that a side managed by the Spaniard has recorded in 601 top flight matches.

Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta ‘Disappointed’ Not To Win

Arteta raised eyebrows before kick off after leaving Eze, Martinelli and Bukayo Saka on the bench. Speaking after the game, the Spaniard rejected claims that his starting XI lacked ambition. He went on to say that his team started the game well and totally dominated their opponents to the last minute.

“It’s easy to say that [we lacked ambition], but we started the game very well and completely dominated. City scored a goal and then did nothing. Everybody tries to do best to get a result, that’s fine. But we controlled the game and dominated and the second-half was the same. I’m extremely proud of my players and team, but very disappointed with the result. Arteta is quoted by ESPN.