Late Equalizer Denies Manchester City Victory Against Arsenal
Pep Guardiola's strategy to secure a crucial win for Manchester City in London nearly succeeded.
Nearly.
However, a last-minute equalizer from Gabriel Martinelli ensured a 1-1 draw for Arsenal, leaving both teams dissatisfied as their Premier League title ambitions faced a setback.
Guardiola's disappointment was evident as he applauded the away supporters with a pained expression before trudging down the tunnel with slumped shoulders.
The late goal not only stung City but also allowed Liverpool to emerge as the true victor of the weekend, extending their lead at the top of the table to five points and maintaining a perfect record after five matches.
“Pep Guardiola shrugged his shoulders,” former Manchester United defender Gary Neville remarked on Sky Sports after the match at the Emirates Stadium. “He decided about 25 or 30 minutes from the end of the game how he was going to win it, and he almost got there. That was a slugfest. Liverpool may be the winners of this result.”
'We had a lot of fatigue'
For 92 minutes, everything seemed to be going according to plan for City; Arsenal struggled to find their rhythm, and the visitors appeared on course for a vital victory.
Despite a challenging fixture schedule, Guardiola opted for the same starting lineup for a third consecutive match, a rare decision during his nine-year tenure at the club.
After taking an early lead through the impressive Erling Haaland and comfortably navigating the first half, Guardiola chose to adopt a more defensive strategy in the second half, likely considering the fatigue of his players.
City had recently triumphed over Manchester United but faced a strenuous battle against 10-man Napoli in their Champions League opener just days prior. Despite their efforts against Arsenal, they narrowly missed out on achieving three consecutive wins.
In the 76th minute, Guardiola switched to a 5-5-0 formation, a surprising move that involved substituting Haaland for defensive midfielder Nico Gonzalez, a tactic reminiscent of Jose Mourinho's strategies.
This defensive approach was underscored by City's possession dropping to a mere 32.8%, the lowest recorded by any Guardiola-managed team in his 601 league games.
“We don’t aim to play like this, but when the opponent is stronger, we defend deeper and counter-attack — but that’s not our intention,” Guardiola explained. “I would prefer not to do it, but you have to at this level. I accept a point, and in some games, we need to adjust.”
Guardiola acknowledged that two demanding matches with just two days of rest had taken a toll on his players. “We were incredibly tired,” he stated. “The game against Napoli was so emotional, and after that recovery day, we had only four or five hours to travel to London. Arsenal has fought in the last two Premier League title races and reached the Champions League semi-finals, making it very challenging. We had a lot of fatigue with many players, and we are also dealing with numerous injuries.”
Despite his disappointment with the result, Guardiola expressed pride in his players for their improved performance compared to last season's 5-1 defeat in the same fixture.
'One little slip' proves costly for Man City
City has only managed to accumulate seven points from their first five league matches, their lowest tally in 19 years, when they had just four points under Stuart Pearce.
Although it is still early in the season, they find themselves trailing Liverpool by eight points, leaving little margin for error.
For Arsenal's equalizer, City's high defensive line was caught off guard by Eberechi Eze's ball over the top, allowing Martinelli to execute a delightful finish over the towering Gianluigi Donnarumma.
This result marked Mikel Arteta as the first manager to go five consecutive league games without a defeat against Guardiola.
Former City defender Micah Richards commented that it was the “poorest” performance he had seen from the side in a long time, noting it did not reflect Guardiola’s typical style, resembling more of a Mourinho or Sam Allardyce approach.
Rob Green, the former West Ham and England goalkeeper, added on BBC Radio 5 Live: “You can control a game without controlling the ball, and clearly that is what City decided to do. They recognized their strength was their defense, which had looked solid in their last two games, and opted to maintain that.”
He noted that when the ball was played over the top, the defenders were slightly too high, resulting in a costly slip.
What caused 'unique' tactical approach?
After scoring, City adopted a defensive strategy that was unusual for Guardiola. They sat deep and blocked the center of the pitch, making it difficult for Arsenal to find striker Viktor Gyokeres or attacking midfielders in between the lines. Typically, Guardiola’s teams defend in a 4-4-2 formation, but City shifted to a 5-4-1 or 5-5-0 as the match progressed.
Why did he choose this approach? This was the third game in seven days for an unchanged City side, which Guardiola indicated was fatigued. Most teams would struggle to contain Arsenal’s effective build-up play, but with City tiring, a deep defense helped prevent them from being exposed while pressing Arsenal.
It was not only about halting Arsenal's build-up but also about limiting their chances. Although Arsenal eventually equalized, it was significant that the goal resulted from a direct ball over a City defense that had stepped up, rather than when they were sitting deep.
Arsenal held 68% possession but managed only 0.61 expected goals in the second half. They have focused on central play this season, with Martin Zubimendi and Riccardo Calafiori playing key roles in releasing their direct attackers.
City aimed to neutralize Arsenal’s dangerous central quality by crowding the middle of the pitch and limiting space for runners by maintaining a position closer to their own goal.
While it is unlikely City will consistently adopt such a deep defensive stance moving forward, it was notable to see Guardiola, known for his attacking philosophy, employ a formation without a recognized striker, especially given his past comments on similar tactics.
“In prehistoric times, now, and in 100,000 years, it is always very difficult to attack a 5-5 formation,” he remarked when facing a similar tactical setup from Atletico Madrid in 2022.
Ultimately, a combination of recognizing City’s fatigue and the need to counter strong attackers, while attempting to minimize Arsenal’s quality, particularly their directness and central play, explains this unique tactical choice.