Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was full of mixed emotions after his side fought back to a 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Emirates. The Gunners impressed with their intensity, control, and attacking display, but the result left the Spaniard “extremely proud” of his players while also “very disappointed” not to turn convert their chances, Softfootball reports.
The clash had all the making of a title-level contest, with Arsenal started on the front foot, pressing high and dictating the tempo, only to concede to a beautiful counter against the run of play. But a spirited response, backed by the Emirates crowd, saw the hosts draw level and finish the stronger side, creating several chances that might have won them the maximum points.
The draw comes on the back of Arsenal’s hard-fought midweek win in Bilbao in the UCL , further demostrating the team’s ability to manage high level pressure and respond in a good manner.
Speaking in his post-match press conference via the team’s website, Arteta praised his team’s performance but admitted frustration over the final outcome, he said:
I’m extremely proud of the players and the team. That’s the overall feeling, and I’m very disappointed with the result.
The Arsenal boss was quick to separate this performance from last season’s defeat at the Etihad, insisting his players proved they could go toe-to-toe with City over 90 minutes:
No, because that game we played I think 54 minutes with 10 men, so that’s a different story. The pride that I feel is to do and to play and to dominate the game the way we did against this team and with 11 players.
Arteta also defended his starting XI and tactical approach, stressing that Arsenal imposed themselves throughout, even if key chances went begging:
It’s too easy to say that. I think it’s very clear what we wanted to do, and we started the game very well, I think we completely dominated. I think after they scored the goal, doing absolutely nothing before that, we were a bit shaky for five or seven minutes and after that we got the grip of the game again and started to dominate it, and the second half it was a continuation of that, with one different player and then with two or three different players.
Meanwhile, Arsenal against Manchester City is known for its drama and producing late goals, one name stands out from the rest in scoring late deciders, Gabriel Martinelli, Arsenal via its official X handle, refreshed the minds of the gooners with a post that shows the brazilian forward scored a late goal against city in the 2023/24 season, see post below;
On substitutions and individual performances, the Spaniard explained his decisions. Noni Madueke was forced off with a knock, while Eberechi Eze was handed a central role to unlock City’s defence. Gabriel Martinelli also earned praise for his impact off the bench, he stated:
No, he had an issue very early in the match and he wasn’t well enough to continue.
Yes, that’s why he played today in that position.
We had very good momentum and we needed to time that well. He’s in a really good moment again after the game he had in Bilbao… his energy again, his attitude was really good and that’s why he made the impact that he made again for the team.
Despite the frustration of not claiming all three points, Arteta focused on the postives, Arsenal showed bravery, creativity, and resilience against a quality Man city side. For him, the lesson is clear performances like this prove the Gunners can match preimer league elite , but turning draws into wins will be very crucial in a title race where little margins could be the ultimate decider matter.
