Pep Guardiola admitted he had no choice but to park the bus against Arsenal, and praised Manchester City’s defensive resilience despite conceding a late equaliser.
A brilliant lob from the substitute Gabriel Martinelli in the third minute of stoppage time cancelled out Erling Haaland’s early strike as Mikel Arteta became the first manager to go five consecutive league games unbeaten against his compatriot. City recorded just 32.8% possession at the Emirates – the lowest in a top-flight match for a team managed by Guardiola – in an uncharacteristically backs-to-the-wall display.
