Arsenal struck late to deny Manchester City all three points at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, as Gabriel Martinelli’s 93rd-minute equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw in a pulsating Premier League clash.
It was a tactical battle of wits between Mikel Arteta and his former mentor Pep Guardiola, one that saw City surrender a record 67.2% possession to Arsenal, the lowest any Guardiola team has ever recorded.
Haaland Strikes Early
The visitors drew first blood inside nine minutes. A sweeping counter-attack ended with Erling Haaland coolly rolling past David Raya, silencing the home crowd and putting City in control.
Arsenal struggled to break down City’s compact shape in the first half as Arteta’s midfield trio of Martín Zubimendi, Declan Rice, and Mikel Merino failed to create clear openings.
Arteta Turns to His Finishers
At the interval, Arteta rang the changes, introducing Bukayo Saka, who just got back from a hamstring injury, and Eberechi Eze.
The impact was instant, as Arsenal pushed forward with more intensity.
Zubimendi came close with a long-range effort, while Eze forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a sharp save.
Still, City looked menacing on the counter through Jérémy Doku, while Guardiola made the eyebrow-raising call to replace Haaland with Nico González and switch to a defensive formation as City tried to cling onto their slender lead.
Martinelli Strikes Late
The gamble nearly worked until deep into stoppage time.
With Arsenal pressing relentlessly, Eze’s perfectly weighted through ball split City’s high line, and Martinelli lifted a sublime finish over Donnarumma to spark wild celebrations inside the Emirates.
The Brazilian has now delivered from the bench in back-to-back games, having scored and assisted in Arsenal’s midweek Champions League win over Athletic Club.
Guardiola: “I Suffered”
Guardiola admitted the ending was painful but praised his team’s resilience after a gruelling week of fixtures:
“We were incredibly tired. The game against Napoli was so emotional and after that we had four or five hours to travel to London.”
“Arsenal are so difficult. For 92 minutes it worked, but one mistake and they punished us. I suffered, I don’t like to defend so deep, but sometimes you must adjust.”
He also joked about City’s possession record:
“I cannot live in this country with another record, you know that. But okay, one time in 10 years is not bad. Now I’m a transition coach, you know that!”
Arteta Proud Despite Missed Chance
For Arteta, the late leveller was vindication of his approach:
“We completely dominated the game. City had one counter-attack, one corner, and one mistake from us.”
“That’s it. To keep them to that, chapeau to the boys. I’m proud of the team, very disappointed with the result, but proud.”
On leaving Martinelli, Saka, and Eze on the bench initially, he defended his rotation:
“There were a lot of attacking players in the XI. It’s easy to say we lacked ambition, but we controlled the game.”
As things stands;
-
Liverpool benefit most – Arne Slot’s side now sit five points clear at the top after maintaining their perfect record.
-
City have their worst start in 19 years, with just seven points from five games.
-
Arsenal stay in touching distance, but questions remain over their ability to convert dominance into wins.
Chaos at Old Trafford! Fernandes & Casemiro Scores as Amorim Breathes Again
Manchester United eased the mounting pressure on manager Rúben Amorim with a tense 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday, in a Premier League rivalry clash that had everything, two goals, two red cards, three early substitutions, and a major injury scare for Cole Palmer.
Luke Shaw twice clashed with Enzo Fernández, Harry Maguire fought a running battle with João Pedro, and new signing Matthijs de Ligt threw himself into challenges.
Red Card Drama at Old Trafford
The drama began after just five minutes when Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez was sent off for bringing down Bryan Mbeumo outside the box, the Blues’ earliest red card in Premier League history.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca admitted the dismissal destroyed his gameplan:
“After the red card, all the planning and everything doesn’t exist any more.”
“I would have preferred to concede a goal than lose the goalkeeper because we still had 95 minutes to play.”
Forced into a reshuffle, Maresca sacrificed attackers Pedro Neto and Estevão Willian to bring on substitute goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen and defender Tosin Adarabioyo, leaving João Pedro isolated up front.
Moments later, Chelsea’s nightmare deepened as talisman Cole Palmer limped off in the 21st minute with a groin issue, reappearing from the dressing room with an ice pack.
United Capitalise Early
With Chelsea rattled, United struck twice before halftime. Captain Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring in the 14th minute after a clever wing-back exchange between Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu.
United’s midfielder, Casemiro doubled the lead from a scrappy rebound in the 35th minute, seemingly putting United in cruise control, but the Brazilian turned villain shortly after.
He received a second yellow card for a reckless lunge on Andrey Santos and reducing United to ten men and breathing life back into Chelsea.
Chalobah Gives Chelsea Late Hope
The Blues grew into the game in the second half, but without Palmer, Neto, or Estevão on the pitch, they lacked cutting edge.
Defender Trevoh Chalobah finally gave Chelsea hope with an 80th-minute strike, calling the chaotic first period the “worst 15 minutes we’ve played this season.”
Despite Chelsea’s late pressure, United held on to claim just their second league win of the season, climbing into the top half of the table after starting the match in 17th place.
Palmer’s Injury Adds to Chelsea’s Woes
The defeat capped a disastrous week for Chelsea, who drew at Brentford last weekend before losing their Champions League opener to Bayern Munich.
Now, the injury to Palmer, their most influential player, raises further concerns. Maresca explained:
“It’s a problem that’s already been a long time for him. He wanted to play this game for the team, but after 20 minutes he started to feel something, so we decided to change him.”
What It Means
-
Man United: Back-to-back wins against Brentford and Sunderland would give Amorim much-needed breathing space heading into the October international break.
-
Chelsea: Two successive defeats, Sánchez suspended, and Palmer facing another spell out, meaning, Maresca has headaches piling up.
