Substitute Gabriel Martinelli has fired a last-gasp winner to earn Arsenal a 1-0 victory over Manchester City, a result that moves Mikel Arteta’s side level on points with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal came into the match on Sunday having not beaten City in the league since 2015, a run of 15 games – their longest winless streak against a single opponent in league history.
Ending such a barren run looked unlikely as City had the better of the chances in the first half with Arsenal’s Declan Rice clearing off the line to keep the champions at bay.
Arsenal did not have a single shot on target in the opening period but upped the tempo after the break, even though City still created the better openings despite their Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland being kept quiet all afternoon.
The game appeared to be edging towards a stalemate before Martinelli struck four minutes from time, a deflection off City defender Nathan Ake that took the ball past keeper Ederson.
The goal sparked wild celebrations at the Emirates as Arsenal moved above City into second place on 20 points, two above the champions, and trailing Spurs only on goals scored.
Arsenal were dealt a huge blow ahead of kickoff as it was confirmed the injured Bukayo Saka would miss a Premier League game for the first time since May 2021, ending a run of 87 consecutive appearances, the longest ongoing run in the competition.
Without the flying forward, Arsenal looked sluggish early on with Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol denied by Rice’s intervention while Julian Alvarez almost diverted Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya’s hesitant clearance into the net.
The crowd was doing their best to rouse a response from Arsenal, cheering every flying tackle with gusto, and it seemed to help matters as the hosts grew into the contest.
Promising openings fell flat, however, as Arsenal failed to have a shot on target in the opening half of a Premier League home game for the first time since March 2022.
Martinelli’s introduction livened things up as he soon had the home side’s first effort on target in the match, a fierce strike straight at Ederson.
With the international break to follow, the life seemed to be sucked out of the game before Martinelli broke City hearts.
It was a timely strike, ensuring Arsenal are yet to lose a Premier League game this season, last going on a longer unbeaten run to start a campaign in 2007-08.
“Everyone knows how hard it is to play against [City], even when they play away. It is not impossible to beat them,” Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus said after the match.
“It is our home, and we have to fight. I am happy for Gabby [Martinelli]. He came on and helped us. He showed how strong our team is.”
Martinelli praised his teammates.
“Everyone played their part in this victory,” he said. “I scored the goal, but it was about the whole team.”
