Pep Guardiola nearly pulled off a tactical masterstroke in London, aiming to secure three vital points for Manchester City.
Almost.
Gabriel Martinelli’s 93rd-minute equaliser rescued a 1-1 draw for Arsenal, leaving both teams frustrated. The result dented their Premier League title hopes.
City boss Guardiola displayed visible dismay, clapping slowly for the travelling fans before trudging down the tunnel with slumped shoulders.
Liverpool emerged as the weekend’s real winners, extending their lead to five points and keeping a perfect record after five games.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville told Sky Sports, “Pep Guardiola decided 25 or 30 minutes before the end how to win. He almost got there. That was a slugfest. Liverpool may be the winners of this result.”
City’s plan worked until the last minute
For 92 minutes, City controlled the game. Arsenal struggled to create chances, and victory looked likely for the visitors.
Guardiola named the same starting XI for the third consecutive match, a rare decision in his nine-year tenure at City.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the ninth minute, and City maintained control through the first half. Guardiola then opted to protect his players, possibly considering their fatigue.
City had dominated Manchester United last Sunday but labored against 10-man Napoli in their Champions League opener on Thursday. Despite their efforts at Arsenal, they fell agonisingly short of three straight wins in a week.
In the 76th minute, Guardiola switched to a 5-5-0 formation, replacing Haaland with defensive midfielder Nico Gonzalez. The move echoed tactics often seen under Jose Mourinho.
City ended with only 32.8% possession, the lowest for any Guardiola side in his 601st league game as manager.
Guardiola said, “We don’t aim to play like this, but when the opponent is better, we defend deeper and counter-attack. I take a point, and sometimes we must adjust.”
He added that two hard games with minimal rest affected his players. “We were incredibly tired. After Napoli, we had only four or five hours to travel to London. Arsenal fought for titles recently and reached Champions League semi-finals. Many players faced fatigue and injuries.”
One small mistake costs City
City have collected seven points from five league games, their lowest tally in 19 years. They trail Liverpool by eight points early in the season.
Arsenal capitalized on a high City defensive line when Eberechi Eze played a ball over the top. Martinelli chipped a finish over goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The result made Mikel Arteta the first manager to go five league games unbeaten against Guardiola.
Former City defender Micah Richards said the side looked poor on the ball, describing it as uncharacteristic for Guardiola and more reminiscent of Mourinho or Sam Allardyce.
Former England keeper Rob Green observed that City controlled the game without controlling the ball. He noted, “Their strength was the back four, but one slip led to Arsenal’s goal.”
Ex-Arsenal winger Theo Walcott agreed, noting that City’s tactic worked but mistakes at the end proved costly.
Guardiola’s unique tactical approach
After taking the lead, City sat deep and blocked central spaces, preventing Arsenal from using their central attackers effectively. Guardiola initially defended in a 4-4-2 but shifted into a 5-4-1 or 5-5-0 formation as the match progressed.
Fatigue played a key role. City had played three games in seven days, and sitting deep reduced the risk of exposure. Guardiola also wanted to limit Arsenal’s direct attacks and central threat.
Arsenal eventually equalized through a long ball over City’s high line, showing the risk of the defensive approach. The Gunners dominated possession but created few chances in the second half.
City crowded the middle to neutralize Arsenal’s central players and restricted space behind the defence. Guardiola rarely fields a striker in such situations, highlighting the unusual nature of the tactic.
He once said attacking a 5-5 formation is extremely difficult, a point reinforced in similar encounters with Atletico Madrid. Ultimately, Guardiola balanced fatigue management, counter-attacking threats, and Arsenal’s attacking quality when deploying the deep, strikerless formation.
