Arsenal 1-1 Man City: Martinelli’s Last-Minute Lob Snatches a Point
It all ended 1-1, a last-minute lob by Gabriel Martinelli—predicted, as we heard, by his girlfriend- snatched back a point for Arsenal after City went 1-0 up in the 9th minute. Pep’s team was a shadow of their usual imperious selves in the second half, having missed the first half… please don’t ask. Arteta wrung the changes at halftime, pulling Madueke off for Saka, Eze on for Merino, and Martinelli later replacing Trossard. Arsenal suddenly got more incisive on the ball, though they didn’t really test Donnarumma’s palms much, whether from our usually dangerous corners or open play. City were mostly penned in with two blocks of five and one man up top. This almost paid off on one of the rare breakaways, but Eze was on hand to mop up the spilled shot, almost scoring an own goal in the process.
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| Image Credit: Getty/Alex Pantlin |
Credit to Martinelli for keeping his head down and performing when called upon as a sub. He now has 3GA goal contributions in 6 games. If sitting on the bench gives him a better perspective, maybe that’s the way to go—coming off the bench as an impact sub against tired legs, playing a hybrid winger-striker role instead of just hugging the touchline where he’s been ineffective lately. We may lose some of his defensive work rate, something for him and Arteta to work on. As for Trossard, safe to say he should remain an impact sub.
Midfield Choices: A Balanced View:
I wouldn’t want to join the bandwagon slamming Arteta for his starting midfield of Rice, Merino and Zubi. While I understand the choice of three midfielders away from home, at home we should be able to play to our attacking strengths—that’s all I’d add. In my preview, I literally called the trio, bar Saka, as the ones who got Arsenal the equaliser. On the other side, City's Bernardo Silva made whiny comments that I'd rather skip after the game. Pep, on the other hand, had better things to say with no complaints:
“Our resilience was fantastic, otherwise we couldn’t survive. Last season we lost 5-1; today we were close. It’s by far one of the best teams in Europe. I would prefer to play another way, but when you play a lot of games in 10 years, teams defend deep, deep, deep and take a result of fantastic performance, mindset, strategy… Sometimes it happens. You have to defend, honestly. It’s because the opponent is better. When you have to accept it, you have to survive in that way. And we did it.”
Dropped Points and Title Aspirations:
To sum it all up, we dropped 2 points we probably shouldn’t have, I say probably because there are no guarantees in football. That said, we sit 5 points behind so far unbeaten Liverpool with 5W in 5. If we want to win the league, our home games should be a fortress of wins. I know it's a tough ask, but it's the standard the EPL requires; there is no sugarcoating it. Comparing this Season to Last
We won City at home, now we drew..-2 points
We drew Liverpool away, now we lost..-2
We drew ManU away, now we won +2. That's a net of -2 for those 3 games comparatively, not good. On that note, Newcastle becomes a must-win (we lost at SJP last season, winning now would be a +3), but there is a matter of Port Vale in the League Cup game tonight. Before we preview, let's pay respect to the current Ballon d'Or winner.
And The Winner Is:
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| Getty Image Credit: 2025 Ballon d'Or Winners |
Looking Ahead: Port Vale and Injuries:
Before Newcastle, there’s a League Cup game tonight against Port Vale. Arsenal need to get their heads back in the game by winning comprehensively. Give Saka and the squad players a run—injuries are testing the squad with Madueke out for 2 months, Saka just back, and Hincapié dealing with a groin issue. This should have been a perfect opportunity for game time, but alas.
I honestly don’t know if Arsenal’s medical team is reviewing the frequency of injuries—it’s insane. Without the squad depth we have, imagine the damage.
Arteta said:
“A lot of players are going to take part, and they fully deserve the minutes. Kepa, for sure, is one of them. He’s been with us, his attitude, the way he supports us in every aspect of his role is the best possible. They deserve more minutes than what they’re getting.”
Darren Moore’s Port Vale sit 19th in League Two with 8 points from 9 games (2W 2D 5L) but are known for rapid counterattacks—their usual League Cup MO. The Gunners must avoid complacency, especially after the Man City draw. We don’t want to be on the wrong side of a headline upset. Lower teams have caught big clubs like Man United, Leeds, and others off guard, with Chelsea narrowly escaping just last night.
Despite rotation, I expect Arsenal to win comfortably, with all due respect to Port Vale, who have been troublesome opponents in the past. Does anyone remember the 1998 FA tie that went to a replay and then penalties? I'd expect the likes of Norgard, Keppa Downman Nwaneri to start. If Ben White is back, he should be in with a shout. Regardless of anyone we put out there, progressing into the next round should be the aim for Arsenal, so no teamsheets from here, let's just go there, get the job done, and be back to prep for a trip to Tyneside at the weekend. Anyway, that's from us here at #Anaijagunner, do like, subscribe, and don't forget to engage in the comments. Enjoy the game wherever you are.....Ciao
