Pep Guardiola praised Manchester City's defensive resilience after they held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates, despite recording just 32.8% possession – the lowest of his managerial career in a top-flight match. Erling Haaland's early strike was cancelled out by a stoppage-time lob from substitute Gabriel Martinelli, extending Mikel Arteta's unbeaten run against his compatriot to five league games.
Guardiola admitted his side had to adapt their approach against a strong Arsenal team. 'Our resilience was fantastic, otherwise we couldn't survive,' he said. '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 have to accept it, you have to survive.'
The City manager acknowledged the unusual tactics, adding: 'One time in 10 years is not bad, right? I have to prove myself against another strategy. Now I am a transition team.'
Arsenal, runners-up for the past three seasons, are five points behind leaders Liverpool after five games. Arteta defended his decision to start Mikel Merino over Eberechi Eze, who came off the bench to set up the equaliser. However, he admitted the team must improve service to new £55m striker Viktor Gyökeres, who failed to register a shot.
'To have very big open chances is extremely difficult, but he's certainly trying his best,' Arteta said. 'There were a lot of situations when the chances were there and then especially the final pass was missing today.'
