Arsenal had an unbeaten Premier League run against Man City stretching back to April 2023 to protect as the two teams took to the Emirates Stadium pitch on Sunday.
The home crowd were therefore expectant, and a win for the Gunners would've cemented their position just behind leaders Liverpool at the top of the table.
For Pep Guardiola, a third win of the season would've seen the Cityzens jump up to fifth, level on points with Tottenham and Bournemouth in third and fourth respectively.
Haaland silences the Emirates
William Saliba had returned to the hosts' starting lineup, boosting their chances given that since his debut in the Premier League in August 2022, the Gunners had won 68% of the games he had started (70/103) compared to just 47% without him (7/15).
However, any game plan from Mikel Arteta surely didn't count on Erling Haaland being able to outpace a static Arsenal backline and fire home with aplomb after just nine minutes with the first shot on target in the game.
The Norwegian's fifth goal in just seven games against the Gunners was also his sixth of the 2025/26 campaign and the third game in a row he'd scored in - his longest streak in the Premier League for a year.
Coincidentally, it was the earliest goal that Arsenal had conceded in the top flight since September 2024... when Erling Haaland netted in the ninth minute.
Find out how to follow Haaland or any other player on the Flashscore app here
Arsenal dominant in possession
With City remaining unbeaten in their last 31 games in the Premier League when opening the scoring within first 10 minutes (W28 D3), winning the game therefore looked likely to be a tall order for the hosts even at that early stage.
The Gunners did at least begin to dominate possession with 68.3% of the ball after half an hour of play. Jurrien Timber's four tackles - the most of any player on the pitch at that time - also showed an intensity that City were finding difficult to cope with.
It would still take them 32 minutes to have a shot at goal, with it being the first time since April 2021 (vs Liverpool) that they'd passed the half-hour mark in a Premier League match without attempting a shot.
They were effectively toothless as an attacking force and hadn't troubled Gianluigi Donnarumma in the City goal. At half-time they still trailed, and they had failed to win any of the previous 12 Premier League games in which they'd been behind at the break (D6, L6).
City retreat
They did at least come out of the blocks in the second half with the bit between their teeth and forced City to unusually adopt a more defensive outlook.
That could be seen with six shots at goal in the 10 minutes after half-time, and them really seizing control of possession and ball manipulation.
Indeed, City averaged just 32% possession in the match in the first hour of the game - the lowest possession average for a Pep Guardiola team in a top-flight league match since playing Arsenal at the Emirates in February 2023 (36.5%).
To give further perspective, the hosts consistently raided the City box, having 39 touches in their area compared to just seven from the visitors.
No service for Gyokeres
Declan Rice's 14 line-breaking passes - six more than any player on either team - opened up the pitch for his colleagues to drive into the space created, with Riccardo Calafiori's seven touches in the City box often coming as a direct result of Rice's accuracy as well as the quality of movement from those in front of him.
Despite making inroads though, the Gunners still hadn't managed to get star striker Viktor Gyokeres involved. 10 shots came from seven different players with 15 minutes left to play and not one had come from the boots of the Swedish international.
For a player that thrives on service, there simply wasn't any, and Arteta's frustration was clear. It would be his opposite number booked for dissent, however.
Martinelli a thorn in City's side again
A late substitution for the hosts, Gabriel Martinelli had either scored (one) or assisted (two) in three of his last four Premier League games against Man City, and the Brazilian would have a say again during injury time.
With Donnarumma caught in no man's land, Martinelli superbly controlled an Eberechi Eze ball fired over a City defence that held a firm line, and then managed to loft it over the keeper's considerable frame to salvage a point.
Eze's fourth goal contribution (two goals, two assists) in his last four Premier League home games was also his 25th assist in the top-flight and a subtle reminder of his talent.
Martinelli, meanwhile, has now been directly involved in four top-flight goals against Guardiola's City side (two goals, two assists) - more than any other Arsenal player since 2016/17 (Pep's first season).
Delightful Doku
Though City will undoubtedly be unhappy with dropping two points so late in the game, a special mention must be given to Jeremy Doku, who did everything but score on the day.
His all-action performance included successfully completing five of seven dribbles, winning 13 of his one-on-ones and regaining possession on five separate occasions, completing 16 of his 19 passes and having more touches in the Arsenal box than any of his colleagues.
Ultimately, the draw suits neither side, and they'll want to put things right against Burnley and Newcastle respectively in their next fixtures.
