Pep Guardiola admitted he disliked resorting to defensive tactics as Manchester City were held 1-1 by Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday.
Erling Haaland’s early strike looked set to be enough, but the City boss opted for a cautious second-half approach, switching to a back five and withdrawing both Haaland and Phil Foden.
The plan backfired as Arsenal grew into the game, dominating possession before Gabriel Martinelli latched onto Eberechi Eze’s clever pass to equalise in stoppage time with a deft lob over Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City’s 32.8% possession was the lowest figure recorded by a Guardiola side in a Premier League fixture, highlighting just how much ground they ceded.
