LONDON:

Pep Guardiola said he did not enjoy asking Manchester City to use the defensive tactics that backfired as Gabriel Martinelli's stoppage-time equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw for Arsenal on Sunday.

Guardiola opted for an unusually cautious game-plan in the second half at the Emirates Stadium in a bid to cling on after Erling Haaland's ninth-minute opener.

But the City manager's decision to substitute Norway striker Haaland and replace England forward Phil Foden in a switch to a back five ultimately proved unsuccessful.

Arsenal were able to monopolise the ball with City sitting so deep, and Martinelli broke the offside trap with a well-timed run onto Eberechi Eze's pass before lofting a composed finish over Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Tellingly, City had just 32.8 percent of possession,

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