Martinelli breaks City's resistance to grab late, late point for Arsenal

For Arsenal, it felt as if all hope had left the stadium. Mikel Arteta had started with the dial turned towards caution but, by the time the board went up to show seven minutes of stoppage time, the manager had torn off the handbrake, sending on attacking substitutes, praying that one of his finishers could come up trumps.

- David Hytner

It was attack versus defence, as it had been throughout, but now it was a ridiculously extreme version. Pep Guardiola had everybody back, his Manchester City team set up in a 5-4-1 formation, desperately holding on to the advantage given to them by Erling Haaland in the ninth minute.

The breakthrough seemed to have come in a different age, Haaland running through to finish for his seventh City goal in six appearances this season. Thereafter, his team defended. And they defended some more. It was a war of attrition. Guardiola withdrew Phil Foden, he withdrew Haaland. He introduced more defensive players. Was it really him?

City finished with 32.8% of the possession; the lowest number for a Guardiola team in 601 topflight games. They looked leggy, which was unsurprising given they had played in the Champions League at home to Napoli on Thursday night. Arsenal had their European fixture at Athletic Bilbao in a Tuesday teatime kickoff. One question: why did Guardiola name an unchanged side?

City looked set to stagger over the line; the hardest-fought of three points were within their grasp. Then Arsenal made it happen. Arteta's team looked to have run out of ideas. But when one substitute, Eberechi Eze, saw another, Gabriel Martinelli, begin a run in behind the City backline, his lob was made to measure.