Arsenal and Manchester City played out a gripping 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Premier League Matchday 6 of the 2025/26 season. Erling Haaland broke the deadlock in the 9th minute with a clinical finish, but Arsenal kept pushing until Gabriel Martinelli struck deep into stoppage time to rescue a vital point for the Gunners. The result keeps Mikel Arteta’s side unbeaten and dents City’s early-season form, leaving them with just seven points from five matches.
Goals
- 9’ – Erling Haaland (Man City): The Norwegian striker pounced early to give City the lead with a sharp finish.
- 90+3’ – Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal): The substitute latched onto Eberechi Eze’s lofted ball and smashed home past Gianluigi Donnarumma to level the match at the death.
Key Insights / Talking Points
- Arteta’s Guardiola streak: Mikel Arteta has now avoided defeat in five consecutive league matches against Pep Guardiola, winning once and drawing four.
- City’s worst start since 2006/07: With just 7 points from 5 matches, this is Manchester City’s poorest start in nearly two decades.
- Lowest Guardiola possession: City recorded just 33% possession, their lowest in a Premier League match under Guardiola.
- Late drama again at the Emirates: Arsenal’s resilience and late goals continue to define their season, keeping them unbeaten in the league.
Minute-by-Minute Timeline
- 9’ – Goal! Haaland opens the scoring with a precise finish after City’s early pressure.
- 20’ – Arsenal settle into possession, with Rice and Zubimendi dictating midfield play.
- 32’ – Trossard tests Donnarumma with a low drive, saved comfortably.
- 42’ – Doku causes problems on the left, but Saliba clears.
- Half-time: Arsenal dominate possession but trail 0-1.
- 55’ – Gyökeres heads just over from a Timber cross.
- 67’ – Guardiola’s men sit deep, looking to absorb Arsenal’s pressure.
- 74’ – Martinelli and Eze introduced as Arsenal chase an equaliser.
- 83’ – Donnarumma denies Merino’s close-range header.
- 90+3’ – Goal! Martinelli connects brilliantly with Eze’s pass to finally beat Donnarumma.
- Full-time: Arsenal 1-1 Man City – the points are shared.
Match Stats
- Shots: Arsenal 12 – 5 Man City
- Shots on target: Arsenal 3 – 3 Man City
- Possession: Arsenal 67% – 33% Man City
- Passes: Arsenal 582 – 300 Man City
- Pass accuracy: Arsenal 88% – 76% Man City
- Fouls: Arsenal 11 – 10 Man City
- Yellow cards: Arsenal 1 – 2 Man City
- Red cards: None
- Offsides: Arsenal 4 – 2 Man City
- Corners: Arsenal 11 – 1 Man City
Lineups
Arsenal (4-3-3):
David Raya; Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori; Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice; Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyökeres, Leandro Trossard.
Substitutes used: Gabriel Martinelli, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri, Cristhian Mosquera.
Manager: Mikel Arteta.
Man City (4-1-4-1):
Gianluigi Donnarumma; Abdukodir Khusanov, Rúben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Noah O’Reilly; Rodri; Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Tijjani Reijnders, Jérémy Doku; Erling Haaland.
Substitutes used: John Stones, Nathan Aké, Nico González, Savinho, Matheus Nunes.
Manager: Pep Guardiola.
Player of the Match
Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal): Came off the bench and delivered the decisive moment, scoring the equaliser under immense pressure.
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