Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised three Arsenal players for their performances in Sunday’s Premier League match between the two teams. He highlighted the strong defensive work of Ben White, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhães against Manchester City.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring for City early in the first half, but Arsenal responded with goals from Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhães to take the lead before halftime. The Gunners were later reduced to ten men after Leandro Trossard received a red card. However, a late equalizer from John Stones ensured the match ended in a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
“Congratulations to Arsenal for being so mentally strong to hold out for such a long time. That is not easy, but we were patient,” Guardiola said in his post-match interview. “When it’s 10 against 11, it’s a different game. They defended very deep, and while we could cross the ball, it wasn’t easy with [Ben] White, Gabriel, and [William] Saliba. They defended really well.”