Gabriel Martinelli struck deep into stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw for Arsenal against Manchester City at the Emirates on Sunday, cancelling out Erling Haaland’s early opener in a tense

Premier League clash.

City drew first blood in the ninth minute. Tijjani Reijnders burst forward from deep, carrying Haaland with him, before sliding the Norwegian through to calmly slot past David Raya. It was Haaland’s 13th goal in just eight games this season, continuing his ruthless start.

Arsenal struggled to find rhythm in the first half, looking flat and short of ideas. But Mikel Arteta’s double substitution at the break added energy, with Eberechi Eze forcing a sharp save from Gianluigi Donnarumma as the Gunners piled on pressure.

Remarkably, City saw just 32.8% of the ball – the lowest-ever possession recorded by a Pep Guardiola team in a league game, according to Opta. Yet the champions looked set to hold out, packing their defence with five at the back in the closing stages.

Then came Martinelli. The Brazilian, who had impressed off the bench in midweek against Athletic Bilbao, latched onto Eze’s hopeful ball over the top in the 93rd minute and lifted a delicate lob over Donnarumma to send the Emirates into chaos.

The point leaves Arsenal on 10 points after five games, five adrift of leaders Liverpool, while City sit ninth with seven points.

It wasn’t a classic between two title hopefuls – cagey for long stretches, with both sides cancelling each other out – but Martinelli’s late moment of brilliance ensured the Gunners walked away with something to show for their efforts. Photo by David, Wikimedia commons.