Manchester City drew 1-1 away at Arsenal yesterday in a game which saw Pep play the most defensive we have seen since he arrived in Manchester in 2016.
Despite that approach City did take the lead inside 10 minutes through none other than Erling Haaland, who now has six Premier League goals in five appearances this season.
Throughout the game Guardiola made his side more and more defensive as they switched to a back five with half an hour to play, Haaland even came off with over 15 minutes left, leaving Doku as the sole attacker on the pitch for the blues.
After the game the Manchester City manager admitted that Arsenal are better than City at this moment and that is the reason he set up as pragmatic as he did.
Pep Guardiola on playing five-at-the-back and defending: "We will try to not be like this. We will try to not be like this.
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) September 21, 2025
"But, when the opponent is better, and we defend deeper, and we have Erling [Haaland] or Tijjani Reijnders, we can use the counter-attack, yes. But our…
Player Ratings
Despite the pragmatic approach by Pep, there were still many standouts in what was an incredibly hard-working and resilient side that were just a few minutes away from victory.
After losing 5-1 at the same stadium earlier this year, this game showed that even though the style has changed, the performance level has gone up with players stepping up and fewer individual errors being made.
Starting XI
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 7.5/10
The Italian number one made several good saves, most notably from Madueke in the first half and he commanded his area well from corners which is always a big threat when playing against Arsenal. Having said that he was caught out for the goal as he seemed to come out before realising he wasn't getting there which allowed Martinelli to lob him.
Abdukodir Khusanov- 7/10
The Uzbek international had a really good first half in which he showed off his pace and defensive awareness on several occasions. Unfortunately he was substituted at half time, likely due to a collision in the first half in which he stayed down for a few minutes but did play on until the half where he didn't reappear onto the pitch.
Ruben Dias- 7.2/10
Dias had a solid game at the back for City in which for the most part he led the backline well and competed aerially and made several clearances when needed. At the end the line was too high up for the goal but that seemed down to the left side of defence more, in which Dias was playing right centre back at the time.
Josko Gvardiol- 7.4/10
The Croatian had a really good game making two tackles, two interceptions and nine tackles and gave the right side of Arsenal's attack nothing for the majority of the 90 minutes. Martinelli's goal partly seemed he fault though which brings this rating down as he ran between him and Ake who were not in line with the rest of the defence.
Nico O'Reilly - 8/10
The 20-year-old makeshift left back had an exceptional game as he came up against Madueke and Saka, two of the best wingers in the country at the moment. He showed really composure and maturity on the ball but also his pace and power came through in the moments when someone tried to get round him or give him a test down the outside. O'Reilly was for sure one of the best players on the pitch yesterday.
Rodri - 7.7/10
A third game in seven days for the reigning Ballon D'or winner, until today, and yet he again seemed a second ahead of the rest of the midfielders on the pitch. He made 11 clearances and broke the lines several times as City looked to counter through Haaland and Doku.
✅ 3-0 vs Manchester United
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) September 21, 2025
✅ 2-0 vs Napoli
🤝 1-1 vs Arsenal
226 minutes for Rodri across eight days! 👏 pic.twitter.com/aKKPA2cTlO
Bernardo Silva - 6.5/10
Bernardo worked extremely hard as you'd expect in a game like this and he made his presence known in the first half as he picked up a yellow card and had an interesting moment with Trossard when the ball was thrown at him. However it did feel he might get sent off at some point and the booking meant he had to be more reserved in the second 45.
Tijjani Reijnders - 6.8/10
The Dutchman picked up the assist for the Haaland goal and had an impressive first half. He seemed to struggle more in the second half and it was him who gave the ball away for the Martinelli goal in which it seemed he tried to score rather than pass to Savinho who was going towards the corner to keep the ball. It was an improved performance from the last few matches though in what is never an easy ground to play at.
Phil Foden - 6/10
Foden felt fairly non existent in this game but the style did not suit him at all as City looked to counter quick through Doku and Haaland. He almost felt like a decoy throughout but could've had a goal if Erling Haaland had spotted him when he chose to shoot instead. Not the worst performance by Foden but not the heights he hit in the last two.
Erling Haaland - 7.8/10
Another goal for the Norwegian takes him to six for the season, three clear of anyone else in the league. He got City out many times with his pace and his strength to draw fouls and hold the ball up and get others involved in the play. As mentioned if he did spot Foden then likely City would have been 2-0 up and the three points all but secured. Nevertheless, a good performance by the striker who has had an outstanding start to the season.
Jeremy Doku - 8.5/10
Player of the match by some way is Jeremy Doku and although Martinelli got given the official one, he seemed the standout player for either side. He won 12 ground duels, completed five dribbles which seemed like many more and created a couple of chances in a game where City needed him and his pace to get them up the pitch. He singlehandedly caused problems for Arsenal's very good backline. This week is probably his best in a Manchester City shirt after his two assists in the derby and solo goal against Napoli.
Substitutes
Matheus Nunes - 6.3/10
Nunes definitely didn't look as comfortable as Khusanov, who he replaced at half time, but he didn't do too much wrong in the game. Trossard went by him a couple of times but for the most part the Portuguese international dealt with anything down the left side of Arsenal's attack.
Nathan Ake - 5.5/10
Ake looked fairly comfortable in the middle of a back three until the end where he and Gvardiol seemed to get mixed up which allowed Martinelli in between them both for the equaliser. Not a terrible performance but he didn't play for too long and has some fault in the late goal.
Nico Gonzalez- 6/10
Only played around 20 minutes but he did look solid next to his compatriot, Rodri. He kept the ball moving forward as much as possible and didn't let much go by him. At the end either he or Rodri could have pressed Eze rather than allowing the ball over the top but the high line is more to blame rather than the lack of press at the time in the game.
John Stones- N/A
Only played about 10 minutes with added time and didn't negatively or positively affect the team.
Savinho- N/A
Only played 10 minutes, was doing a good job trying to keep the ball in Arsenal's half.
A positive week
After seven points from nine against Manchester United, Napoli and Arsenal, City fans will be happy with the outcome and would've taken that going into a tough week; especially after the two defeats before the international break.
With Huddersfield and Burnley up next, Guardiola's side look in a much better place to win these types of games comfortably, considering how they performed against better sides.
