Kyle Walker and Erling Haaland were engaged in a heated altercation following a 1-0 loss to Arsenal on Sunday. The incident unfolded as they made their way towards the tunnel after the match.
The source of the dispute appeared to be Gunners’ set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, who previously worked with City. Walker seemed to take offense at something said by Jover and confronted him, with Haaland also getting involved and several individuals attempting to intervene.
Emotions ran high as Manchester City suffered their third defeat in four games, conceding a late goal deflected by Gabriel Martinelli. Despite a resilient defensive performance, Pep Guardiola’s team once again struggled to find their attacking rhythm.
When asked about the incident, Guardiola declined to comment, choosing to remain tight-lipped and only shaking his head before smiling and saying, “I know what happened but I don’t want to say anything.”
The defeat pushed City down to third place just before the international break, with Arsenal overtaking them in the standings after securing all three points late in the match. Tottenham Hotspur also moved ahead of City by defeating Luton Town 1-0 on Saturday.
This match marked the final of three games that City had to play without Rodri, who was suspended after an altercation with Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White. They ended up losing all three of those matches.
Additionally, Haaland has been struggling to replicate his form from last season, having scored only one goal in his last five appearances. The Norwegian forward failed to register a single shot on target at the Emirates and was effectively marked by William Saliba.
City could have faced an even more challenging afternoon, as they should have been reduced to ten players when Mateo Kovacic made a late, reckless challenge on Declan Rice in the first half. Kovacic had just received a yellow card for a similarly rash tackle on Martin Odegaard and was fortunate to avoid a second booking.
Much of the second half was played at a slow pace, with a goalless draw appearing imminent. However, the home side managed to secure all three points in the 86th minute when Martinelli’s shot deflected off Nathan Ake and past the helpless Ederson.