Erling Haaland had given City an early lead, but Pep Guardiola’s unusually cautious substitutions culminating in the withdrawal of his star striker invited pressure. Arsenal capitalised deep into stoppage time when Martinelli, fresh off the bench, raced onto Eberechi Eze’s lofted ball and coolly chipped past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The result lifted Arsenal to second place, five points behind leaders Liverpool, while City languish in ninth, already eight points adrift of Arne Slot’s relentless side.
City drew first blood in the ninth minute. Haaland’s strength in holding off defenders launched a rapid counter, with Tijjani Reijnders feeding him a perfectly weighted return pass. The Norwegian finished clinically from close range, netting his fifth goal in seven league games against Arsenal and taking his season tally to 12 goals in eight appearances for club and country.
Arsenal, who conceded from open play for the first time this season, looked rattled. Haaland nearly doubled his tally moments later, forcing David Raya into action after a fierce Reijnders drive.
Mikel Arteta again deployed a midfield of Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino, but the trio struggled to impose themselves. Arsenal’s first meaningful threat came late in the half through Noni Madueke, whose strike tested Donnarumma.
Tensions flared when Bernardo Silva kicked the ball into Leandro Trossard’s groin, sparking a fiery exchange between the pair.
Arteta turned to his bench at the interval, introducing Bukayo Saka—back from a hamstring injury—and Eberechi Eze. The duo instantly injected urgency, with Zubimendi and Eze both going close.
City, under mounting pressure, retreated further. Guardiola shifted to a back five by bringing on Nathan Ake for Phil Foden, then controversially substituted Haaland with 15 minutes left, effectively parking the bus.
The defensive gamble backfired. Deep into stoppage time, Eze lofted a perfectly weighted pass behind the City line. Martinelli exploited Ake’s failed offside trap, sprinted clear and dinked the ball over Donnarumma to ignite wild celebrations inside the Emirates.
The equaliser not only spared Arsenal a second defeat to a title rival—after their August loss at Liverpool—but also extended Guardiola’s winless run against the Gunners to five consecutive league matches, a first in his managerial career.
