Martinelli rescues Arsenal with late equaliser against Manchester City

Arsenal salvaged a dramatic point at the Emirates Stadium as Gabriel Martinelli struck deep into stoppage time to secure a 1-1 draw with Manchester City in Sunday’s Premier League clash.

The Brazilian forward combined with substitute Eberechi Eze in the 93rd minute, lifting the ball over Gianluigi Donnarumma to cancel out Erling Haaland’s early opener.

City had taken the lead in the ninth minute when Haaland finished from Tijjani Reijnders’ pass, continuing his clinical start to the season. 

Pep Guardiola’s side then adopted an unusually defensive approach, recording just 32.8% possession – the lowest ever by a Guardiola team in a top-flight match. Despite their deep setup, City looked on course for three points until Martinelli’s late intervention.

Arsenal struggled for much of the match to break down City’s organised defence. With Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka limited in their influence, Arteta’s men appeared short of creativity. 

However, the introduction of Eze in the second half added energy, and his perfectly weighted pass allowed Martinelli to produce the decisive moment of brilliance.

The result leaves Arsenal in the top four but unable to leapfrog into second place, while City remain in the mid-table positions after a patchy start to the campaign. 

Liverpool were seen as the biggest beneficiaries of the draw, with pundits pointing out that both Arsenal and City had dropped points in the title race.

For Mikel Arteta, the performance underlined both Arsenal’s resilience and their continued struggle to unlock compact defensive setups. 

For Guardiola, the match was a reminder of how fine the margins are in high-stakes encounters. With the season still young, both sides will know that missed opportunities like this could prove decisive later in the title race.

Also on Sunday in the Premier League, Aston Villa scored their first Premier League goal of the season in a 1-1 draw at Sunderland, while Bournemouth and Newcastle United played out a goalless draw.