Emirates draw sees Arsenal and Man City’s title hopes take a hit

Erling Haaland’s ninth-minute opener looked set to earn Manchester City a rare victory following struggles from Mikel Arteta’s side in recent battles at the Emirates Stadium. 

Pep Guardiola reverted to a back five in the second half in an effort to keep a clean sheet which would secure all three points in the capital before Arsenal’s pressure eventually told through Martinelli.

This draw does little for the Premier League title hopes of Arsenal or City, but is enough to maintain momentum after a clash which flitted between end-to-end and tedious on Sunday evening.

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Haaland was a central figure in both fixtures last season even though Manchester City failed to win either match. 

The Norwegian sparked a post-match melee at a previous Etihad Stadium matchup when he threw a ball against Gabriel Magalhaes’s head after a last-gasp equaliser for City. Haaland went on to tell Arteta to be “humble” after full-time.

Fast forward to February, and Haaland was served a dish of humble pie when Myles Skelly-Lewis copied his Zen goal celebration during a 5-1 win for Arsenal. 

This time around Haaland ignored jeers and showed his supreme finishing ability with a smart ninth-minute effort. 

After a lack of composure from both teams during a skittish start, Haaland’s deft touch to Tijjani Reijnders was followed by a burst of acceleration past Gabriel before he slotted home.

Haaland barely celebrated and proceeded to dominate Gabriel, giving the Arsenal captain a slight shove to the floor when he defended one corner during an all-action display.

Despite one other effort straight at David Raya, the former Borussia Dortmund striker was far superior to opposite number Viktor Gyokeres, who failed to have a single shot.