Erling Haaland (£14.3m) found the net once again on Sunday, but Manchester City were denied three points at Arsenal due to a dramatic late equaliser.
Here are our Scout Notes from the Emirates Stadium.
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WHY GUARDIOLA SUBBED HAALAND OFF
Pep Guardiola unexpectedly took Haaland off early on Sunday, replacing him with defensive midfielder Nico Gonzalez (£6.0m) in the 75th minute.
The Spaniard later explained that Haaland was withdrawn due to fatigue and back pain.
“At the end he was exhausted, a lot of pain in his back. He was suffering the last few days. It’s so demanding and he will take a break a little bit to the last games.” – Pep Guardiola on Erling Haaland
City will face Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, which appears to be an ideal opportunity to give Haaland a rest ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Burnley.
Before his substitution, Haaland had finished off a rapid counter-attack to give City an early lead.
Tijjani Reijnders (£5.6m) provided the assist with a perfectly timed pass. Despite experiencing an overnight price drop on Saturday, he also earned defensive contribution (DefCon) points and a share of the bonus.
DEFENSIVE CITY
Guardiola named the same starting XI for the third successive match at the Emirates.
However, with the recent fixture schedule in mind (City faced Napoli on Thursday), he opted for a more defensive approach in the second half, shifting to a 5-4-1/5-5-0 formation as the match progressed.
More physical and pragmatic, they averaged just 34% possession.
“We cannot make analysis without talking about what happened this week. We played tough games against United and Napoli. Hats off to the team and the resilience. When you are not effective in the pressing, always it is difficult. I think the result is fair. They were better and we were tired.
“We played an emotional game against Napoli and then we had four or five hours to arrive to London. It was so tough but we were there. We had to be so strong in terms of mentality and we have done it. We have a lot of fatigue, how many injuries with John [Stones], Cherki, Ait-Nouri, Nathan [Ake] was out and then Khusanov got injured.
“We try not to be like this but when the opponent is better and we have Erling [Haaland] who can run with such power, we have to do this. Remember how many counter attacks we scored with Leroy [Sane], Raheem [Sterling] and Kevin [De Bruyne]? I would prefer not to do it but I would expect in this level we have to do it.” – Pep Guardiola
Elsewhere, the in-form Phil Foden (£8.0m) kept his place in the starting XI but was largely ineffective.
Instead, Jeremy Doku (£6.4m) took home most of the plaudits, as he spearheaded numerous counter-attacks for City, while also winning several important free-kicks. He almost provided an assist as well, setting up Haaland early in the second half.
Rodri (£6.4m), meanwhile, accumulated 16 DefCons, reaching the threshold for extra points for the first time this season.
SAKA RETURNS, MADUEKE INJURY
After a difficult first half, Bukayo Saka (£9.8m) and Eberechi Eze (£7.5m) were both introduced after the break.
Noni Madueke (£7.0m), who had been Arsenal’s standout performer in the first 45 minutes, along with Mikel Merino (£5.9m), were taken off.
Madueke, it turns out, was injured, and he is now set to undergo scans to determine the extent of the issue.
“No, he had an issue very early in the match and he wasn’t well enough to continue.” – Mikel Arteta on Noni Madueke
Noni Madueke set for a spell on the sidelines due to a knee injury sustained against Manchester City.
Timeline for return still unclear as tests ongoing. However, Madueke has not done his ACL, despite rumours.🏥 pic.twitter.com/tJVkLH4bgW
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) September 22, 2025
The half-time alterations opened up more attacking outlets for Arsenal, as they started to show more creativity in the final third.
Saka understandably looked a bit off the pace, but Eze excelled in a central role, delivering the assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s (£6.9m) late equaliser with a well-placed lofted ball over the top.
Arsenal’s line-up felt overly cautious in the first half, so it’ll be interesting to see if Eze is used more centrally in the upcoming matches, especially as the schedule eases up in Gameweek 7.
“Today he played a little bit more shifted to the right and there was a reason for that. When play shifted from the left whether it’s as an attacking midfielder, as a winger coming into that space as well, he’s someone that is very, very efficient and very creative. We know that, that’s why we brought him in. So, we’re using him in different spaces.” – Mikel Arteta on Eberechi Eze
Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m), however, cut an isolated figure, as he failed to register a shot or key pass.
At the back, William Saliba (£6.0m) replaced Cristhian Mosquera (£5.4m), while Ben White (£5.4m) was fit enough for a place on the bench.
Riccardo Calafiori (£5.7m), meanwhile, registered another three shots from his marauding left-back role. That’s 10 goal attempts for the season now, the most of any Fantasy defender.
Arsenal face Port Vale in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, before going to Newcastle United next weekend.
Notably, the Gunners have lost their last three visits to St James’ Park in all competitions.
