Gabriel Martinelli’s goal against Man City showcased his brilliance again as he scored yet another goal after coming in as a substitute to earn a point for Arsenal in their 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Sunday, September 21. Martinelli had earlier scored against Athletic Club as a substitute in a UEFA Champions League match last week.
The draw left Arsenal in second place with 10 points from five matches, five short of Liverpool’s tally.
Meanwhile, Manchester City have seven points from five matches and are in ninth position. The Cityzens scored first in Sunday’s match through Erling Haaland, but Arsenal equalised in the dying minutes of the match.
Gabriel Martinelli’s Goal Against Man City Staked Claim for a Place in the Starting XI
Gabriel Martinelli’s goal against Man City was a beauty, with Eberechi Eze, yet another substitute, finding him with a long ball from Arsenal’s own half past Manchester City’s high defensive line.
It was about the only time the Manchester City defence erred in their judgement in the match, but it was enough for Martinelli to finish past an advancing Gianluigi Donnarumma with a splendid chip.
Donnarumma was otherwise very good, especially against high balls played into the Manchester City box. The Italian managed to punch a lot of balls played as crosses to thwart the home side repeatedly.
However, Mikel Arteta’s decision to start with Mikel Merino in midfield and persist with Leandro Trossard on the left flank for more than 80 minutes must have raised a few eyebrows. It was no coincidence that Martinelli and Eze, the replacements for Trossard and Merino respectively, played key roles in the Gunners’ equaliser in the Arsenal vs Manchester City clash.
Merino’s presence in the midfield meant that Arsenal did not have enough creative spark in the middle of the park. Moreover, Trossard kept moving inside, which meant the Gunners were reliant on Riccardo Calafiori to launch their attacks down the left.
Matheus Nunes came on for Abdukodir Khusanov as right-back in the second half and did not allow Trossard much leeway.
Martinelli’s introduction meant that Arsenal had a player to run at the opposition defence with pace. Arteta will find it difficult to keep the Brazilian out of his starting XI in Arsenal’s next match.
Noni Madueke played well in the first half on the right and had a tasty duel with Nico O’Reilly, Manchester City’s left-back. However, Bukayo Saka replaced Madueke in the second half and did not prove to be much of an improvement.
Manchester City played without a proper striker during the last 20 minutes and also with a back-five for the majority of the second half. Their formation was a 5-5-0 for the last 20 minutes or so, which meant that the Gunners had enough scope to press fully for an equaliser, which they ultimately got.
However, had Erling Haaland been a little more selfless and passed to Phil Foden instead of taking a shot himself after he was set free from a counter-attack in the second half, Manchester City would probably have won the match.
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Arsenal’s Squad Depth vs Liverpool’s Consistency
Liverpool have a perfect record after five matches, while Arsenal have already dropped five. It is a sizable difference already, and should the Gunners keep dropping points, it might be very difficult for them to keep the pressure on Liverpool.
Arteta should be happy to sneak out a point through the late goal, but their inability to score goals early on in a match remained a concern.
Arsenal’s squad depth allows them to bring on quality replacements from the bench, but that is not going to save them every time. Liverpool have also been scoring late goals this season, but they have been able to maintain a perfect record so far.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Sportimage
Recording Date: 21.09.2025