Pep Guardiola praised Manchester City's defensive resilience after a 1-1 draw at Arsenal, despite his side recording just 32.8% possession – the lowest in a top-flight match for a team under his management. Erling Haaland's early strike was cancelled out by a late Gabriel Martinelli lob, extending Mikel Arteta's unbeaten league run against Guardiola to five games.
Guardiola admitted his team had to adapt to Arsenal's strength, saying: '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.' He added: 'I would prefer to play another way, but when you have to accept it, you have to survive.'
The City manager acknowledged the unusual tactics, joking: 'One time in 10 years is not bad, right? I have to prove myself against another strategy. Now I am a transition team.'
Arsenal, five points behind leaders Liverpool after five games, saw new striker Viktor Gyökeres fail to register a shot. Arteta defended his decision to start Mikel Merino over Eberechi Eze, who set up the equaliser after coming on at half-time. 'To have very big open chances is extremely difficult,' Arteta said. 'We have to provide more for him.'
