Martinelli's Dramatic Equaliser Saves Arsenal in Draw with Manchester City
Gabriel Martinelli came to Arsenals rescue with a dramatic equaliser from the Brazilian that earned a 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Sunday as Pep Guardiolas defensive strategy unravelled at the Emirates Stadium.
Manchester City held a lead thanks to Erling Haalands early first half goal but Guardiola opted for several conservative changes that stripped his team of a proper forward in the final moments.
This defensive setup was unusual for the offensively focused Guardiola yet his choice to prioritise practicality over his usual attacking philosophy ultimately cost him dearly.
The key adjustment came from Arsenals boss Mikel Arteta who brought on Martinelli from the substitutes bench to prevent a second loss to a top contender following their earlier defeat to title holders Liverpool back in August.
Arsenal climbed to second position five points off the pace set by Liverpool while Manchester City sit in ninth after securing only two victories in their opening five league fixtures.
Trailing Liverpool by eight points already Guardiolas squad will need a major turnaround to challenge Arne Slots frontrunners who have triumphed in all of their first five league outings.
Liverpool emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of the intense battle in north London which saw Guardiola endure his first run of five consecutive winless league games against a single foe during his tenure.
Although Guardiola complained about the tight schedule with Manchester Citys Champions League debut versus Napoli coming just 48 hours after Arsenals match against Athletic Bilbao he stuck with the same starting lineup.
Guardiola had jokingly suggested his team could go hiking during the mere 66 hours between the Napoli clash and the Arsenal encounter highlighting his frustration over the limited recovery time for his players.
However if Guardiola viewed the challenge as a steep ascent it became far simpler after only nine minutes.
Guardiola Pays the Price
Haalands strong play in holding up the ball sparked a rapid City counter as Tijjani Reijnders dashed forward into the Arsenal box delivering an accurate pass to the Norwegian who slotted home a precise low shot from eight yards out.
Haaland skipped his signature zen gesture after Arsenals Myles Lewis Skelly had playfully mimicked it earlier during the Gunners 5-1 thrashing of City back in February.
This marked Haalands fifth strike in seven league games versus Arsenal bringing the 25 year olds total to 12 goals across eight appearances for both club and country this term.
Having leaked a goal from open play for the first time this season Arsenal almost suffered another when Haaland set up Reijnders for a fierce effort that required a fine stop from David Raya.
Arteta faced backlash for his overly safe selections of Martin Zubimendi Declan Rice and Mikel Merino in the Liverpool game but he repeated the midfield combination here and it again fell short of expectations.
Noni Maduekes 12 yard shot finally drew a save from Donnarumma right before the break.
A heated exchange nearly escalated when Citys skipper Bernardo Silva booted the ball into Leandro Trossards groin prompting the Arsenal forward to lob it back in response.
At the interval Arteta introduced Bukayo Saka returning from a hamstring issue along with Eberechi Eze and the English attackers instantly boosted Arsenals energy.
Zubimendi fired narrowly over from the penalty areas edge before Eze hammered a sharp attempt that Donnarumma deflected clear.
Manchester City focused on protecting their advantage for most of the second period with Guardiola shifting to a five man defence by substituting Nathan Ake for Phil Foden to shore up the rearguard.
Haaland was even withdrawn for the final 15 minutes as Guardiola adopted an ultra defensive stance but the Spaniard suffered for his hesitancy deep into added time.
Eze floated a clever ball over the top allowing Martinelli to outpace Ake who had gambled on an offside trap and the sub deftly lifted the ball beyond the onrushing Donnarumma to ignite joyous scenes throughout the Emirates.