Guardiola's gamble almost pays off as Liverpool cash in

Pep Guardiola's attempt at parking the bus in London to help Manchester City pinch three vital points almost paid off.

Almost.

But Gabriel Martinelli's 93rd-minute equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw for Arsenal, although neither side will be left satisfied as their Premier League title aspirations were dealt a blow.

City boss Guardiola's dismay was captured by a pained expression on his face at full-time, slowly applauding the travelling support before dragging himself down the tunnel with slumped shoulders.

Not only will the manner of the late goal have hurt, but it left leaders Liverpool as the real victor this weekend, going five points clear at the top and looking ominous in the defence of their crown with a 100% record after five games.

"Pep Guardiola shrugged his shoulders," former Manchester United defender Gary Neville told Sky Sports after Sunday's game at Emirates Stadium.

"He decided about 25 or 30 minutes out from the end of the game how he was going to win it and he almost got there.

"That was a slugfest. Liverpool may be the winners of this result."

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'We had a lot of fatigue'

For 92 minutes of the contest, it was all going to plan for City - the Gunners were failing to fire and the visitors were on their way to a vital victory.

Despite the arduous scheduling of recent games, Guardiola decided to name the same starting XI for a third consecutive game - only the third time he has done this during his nine years at the club.

Having taken a ninth-minute lead through the imperious Erling Haaland and seeing out the opening 45 minutes pretty comfortably, Guardiola decided to shut up shop in the second half, possibly with tiredness in mind.

City had comfortably dispatched rivals Manchester United last Sunday, but were made to work hard for victory against 10-man Napoli in their Champions League opener on Thursday. Despite their efforts at Arsenal, they fell agonisingly short of three straight wins in a week.

Guardiola switched to a 5-5-0 formation in the 76th minute following the eyebrow-raising decision to haul off Haaland and send on defensive midfielder Nico Gonzalez - a tactical manoeuvre which could have come right out of the Jose Mourinho playbook.

The attempt to do whatever was needed to try to get the win was highlighted by the fact City ended with only 32.8% possession, the lowest figure recorded by any Guardiola side in his 601st league game as manager.

"We don't try to be like this but when the opponent is better we defend deeper and counter-attack - but that's not our intention," he said.

"I would prefer not to do it, but you have to at this level. I take a point and in some games we have to adjust."

But Guardiola admitted two tough games, with just two days rest in between, had taken a toll on his players.

"We were incredibly tired," he added. "The game against Napoli was so emotional and after that recovery day we have four or five hours to travel to London. Arsenal fought in the last two Premier League title races and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League so it's so difficult.

"We had a lot of fatigue with many players. We also have a lot of injuries."

Guardiola told BBC Radio 5 Live he was "disappointed" by the result, but was "proud" of his players for improving on last season's performance when they were thumped 5-1 by Mikel Arteta's men in the corresponding fixture.

'One little slip' proves costly for Man City

City have claimed only seven points from their opening five league games, which is their lowest return in 19 years when they had four under Stuart Pearce.

Although it is only September, they have left themselves with little room for error, trailing Liverpool by eight points at this early stage.

For Arsenal's late leveller, City's high backline were caught out by Eberechi Eze's ball over the top and Martinelli clipped a delightful finish over the towering Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The result meant Arteta became the first manager to go five successive league games without defeat against Guardiola.

Former City defender Micah Richards said it was the "poorest" he had seen the side on the ball "for a long time", adding it was not "Pep's style of play" and more "Mourinho or [Sam] Allardyce."

Rob Green, the former West Ham and England keeper, added BBC Radio 5 Live: "You can control a game without controlling the ball, and clearly that is what City decided to do.

"They saw that their strength was their back four, in their last two games they looked solid, and decided to stick with that.

"When the ball got played over the top they were slightly too high, there wasn't the pressure on the ball, and all it takes is that one little slip."

What caused 'unique' tactical approach?

After City scored, they took a defensive approach unlike one Guardiola has opted for previously.

They sat deep and blocked the centre of the pitch, making it difficult for Arsenal to find striker Viktor Gyokeres or attacking midfielders between the lines. Guardiola has typically asked his team to defend in a 4-4-2 and did to begin with, but City moved into a 5-4-1 or 5-5-0 as the game progressed.

So why did he opt for this approach?

This was the third game in seven days for an unchanged City side who were fatigued, according to Guardiola. Most teams would struggle to stifle Arsenal's excellent build-up play, but with City tiring, defending deep prevented them from being exposed trying to press Arsenal.

It wasn't just about stopping the build-up, but preventing Arsenal creating chances.

Arteta's men eventually got their equaliser but it was telling the goal came from a direct ball over a City defence that had stepped up, rather than when the visitors sat deep.

Arsenal dominated the ball, but the 68% possession they had amounted to 0.61 expected goals in the second half.

The Gunners have played through the middle this season with Martin Zubimendi and Riccardo Calafiori key to this, before releasing their direct attackers.

City aimed to nullify Arsenal's dangerous central quality by putting numerous bodies in the middle of the pitch. They also aimed to nullify runners by reducing the space they had in behind by being close to their own goal.

It is unlikely City will play that deep consistently going forward, but it was interesting to see such an attacking manager like Guardiola deploy a shape without a recognised striker, given his previous quotes about the formation.

"In prehistoric times, now and in 100,000 years, it is always very difficult to attack a 5-5 formation," were his words when facing a similar tactical gameplan deployed by Atletico Madrid in 2022.

Ultimately it was a combination of acknowledging City's fatigue and strong counter-attackers, while wanting to minimise Arsenal's quality - particularly the home side's directness, build-up and central attackers - that help explain the unique approach.