Gary Neville’s seven-word verdict speaks volumes after Arsenal pinch draw against Man City

Gabriel Martinelli’s injury-time goal for Arsenal earned them a point in a 1-1 draw against Manchester City after a frustrating match, but Gary Neville made a pertinent point

Arsenal rescued a point thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s 93rd-minute goal against Manchester City, but Gary Neville believes the goal ultimately benefited their rivals Liverpool. Martinelli came off the bench to make an impact on Sunday evening as City failed to hold out for a win.

Erling Haaland put City ahead early on with a brilliant counter-attacking goal from Tijjani Reijnders’ pass. Pep Guardiola tried to defend his side’s one-goal lead by making defensive substitutions, but City were caught in stoppage time as Eberechi Eze sent Martinelli through and he lobbed Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The home crowd erupted after Martinelli’s second impact of the week, following his goal and assist off the bench in the Champions League against Athletic Club, but Neville had a different take. “Guardiola shrugs his shoulders – he decided 25-30 minutes out from the end of the game how he was going to win it and he got so close,” he said on Sky Sports.

“But credit to Arsenal, Eze and Martinelli for that bit of brilliance at the end, but those blue shirts will be disappointed. It was a bit of a slugfest of a game, a real struggle that will not help either of them. Liverpool maybe the winners of this result.”

READ MORE: Man Utd star Amad deletes ALL his Instagram posts after backlash to controversial pictureREAD MORE: Gabriel Martinelli rescues Arsenal and denies Man City smash-and-grab win – 5 talking points

Liverpool continued their perfect start to the season with a 2-1 win over Everton in the Merseyside Derby on Saturday. Arne Slot’s side have 15 points from five games and sit five clear of second-placed Arsenal and Tottenham, who also have 10 points.

City, meanwhile, are ninth in the Premier League table, having taken just seven points from their opening five games. Guardiola’s side have been beaten by Tottenham and Brighton this season and were disappointed to give up such a late equaliser.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was full of praise for Martinelli, who fulfilled Arteta’s “finisher” role off the bench, but he also noted a change of approach from City. “I could sense a bit of frustration inside the stadium, obviously, because we were having so much of the ball,” he told Sky Sports.

“But again, they defended really well. We may have had one or two chances in the first half, and we knew in the second half we had to step on it. And within the first five minutes, we created two or three. So the message at half time was to keep going, keep pushing, keep overloading them.

“And seeing the end, they changed to a back five, went to five, which I’ve never seen them do, and they’re obviously trying to hang on, so obviously to get them with draw at the end was good for us.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.