Martinelli breaks City resistance at the death as a tense Emirates clash ends level
Gabriel Martinelli came off the bench to conjure a 93rd-minute equaliser and pull Arsenal level with Manchester City in a gripping 1-1 draw at the Emirates. Erling Haaland’s ninth-minute strike had stood for almost the entire afternoon as the champions retreated into a stubborn defensive shell and invited pressure that Mikel Arteta’s side, for long stretches, struggled to turn into clear chances.
Arteta’s finishers changed the tone. The half-time introductions of Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka lifted the tempo, and while Pep Guardiola switched to a rare back five and later withdrew Haaland to close the game down, Arsenal kept asking questions. When Eze finally lifted a pass in behind, Martinelli’s first touch and outside-of-the-boot finish over Gianluigi Donnarumma delivered a finale of bedlam and, ultimately, a point that felt hard-earned.
A ruthless break, then a siege