Gabriel Martinelli struck in stoppage time to rescue a point for Arsenal against Manchester City at the Emirates but two of his teammates struggle to hit the mark
Arsenal rescued a late point despite dominating much of the game against Manchester City as Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time goal earned them a draw.
City drew first blood early on, capitalising on a swift counter-attack that saw Erling Haaland coolly slot home in a one-on-one situation. Despite their best efforts, the Gunners failed to find an equaliser in the first half.
Mikel Arteta made two changes at half-time, bringing on Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze, whose impact was immediately noticeable and arguably should have been utilised from the start, reports Football London.
And Martinelli’s superbly taken finish sealed a draw that neither team will be fully satisfed with.
Here’s how the Arsenal players rated…
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David Raya – Found himself outfoxed by Haaland for the opening goal in a challenging one-on-one situation. However, he redeemed himself somewhat with a crucial save in a similar situation later on. 6
Jurrien Timber – Showed tenacity but perhaps a little too much enthusiasm at times, earning himself a booking early in the second half for a foul on Jeremy Doku. He put in a solid performance but failed to make a significant impact down the right. 7
William Saliba – Found himself outnumbered for City’s goal and could do little to cover both Haaland’s run and Reijnders. As the game progressed, his role shifted to distributing from the back as Arsenal went on the offensive. 7
Gabriel Magalhaes – The Brazilian defender looked vulnerable when caught out of position high up the pitch, a mistake which cost the Gunners dearly. 7
Riccardo Calafiori – His speculative cross led to the early Haaland goal, and a wasteful shot from outside the box late on drew groans from the crowd. 6
Martin Zubimendi – His slick passing into wide areas was commendable, but he lacked the attacking flair of his midfield partner. He had a chance early in the second half that just went over the bar. 6
Declan Rice – Keen to push the ball forwards as much as possible, he posed a typical threat with his whipped corner kicks. 6
Mikel Merino – A controversial selection, he lost possession inside his own half and surrendered a big chance, leading to frustrations over a lack of attacking threat. He was rightly substituted at half-time. 5
Noni Madueke – He outplayed O’Reilly, driving to the byline and delivering dangerous passes into the box that no one was there to meet. He forced a good save from Gianluigi Donnarumma and was unlucky to be replaced at half-time. 7
Leandro Trossard – Starting after his strong performance in Bilbao, the Belgian was largely peripheral in the first half, aside from flooring Bernardo Silva after throwing the ball at him. He moved centrally when Martinelli came on, in a bid to create more danger in the middle. 6
Viktor Gyokeres – He was a lone figure in the first half, reminiscent of Kai Havertz’s crucial role in such games. It wasn’t until the 70th minute that Arsenal attempted a low pass to him, resulting in a corner. 5
Substitutes
Bukayo Saka – Immediately involved after half-time with driving runs and crosses. Returning from injury, it was always going to be tough to make a significant impact, unfortunately, he fell short. 6
Eberechi Eze – His volleyed attempt at goal from the edge of the box, just minutes into his second-half appearance, was saved by Donnarumma. His brilliant pass through the gap to find Saka for a cross showed the immediate impact of an extra attacker, and it was his pass that set up the crucial goal. 8
Gabriel Martinelli – Replaced Jurrien Timber. Gabriel Martinelli emerged as the hero for the second consecutive game, scoring the late equaliser. 7
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