Following a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Sunday, Kyle Walker and Erling Haaland were involved in some unpleasant incidents.
As they made their way towards the tunnel after the match, both of them were seen engaging in a heated confrontation with Gunners’ set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, who had previously worked for City. Walker appeared to take exception to something said and confronted Jover, with Haaland supporting him, and multiple individuals attempted to intervene.
Emotions were running high after Manchester City experienced their third defeat in four games, conceding a late goal that deflected off Gabriel Martinelli. Despite a strong defensive performance, Pep Guardiola’s team once again struggled to find their attacking rhythm.
When asked about the incident, Guardiola chose to remain tight-lipped and simply shook his head. He then smiled and said, ‘I know what happened, but I prefer not to comment.’
The loss has pushed City down to third place as they head into the international break. Arsenal surpassed them in the standings by securing all three points late in the match, and Tottenham Hotspur also moved ahead after a 1-0 victory over Luton Town on Saturday.
This match marked the conclusion of three games that City had to play without Rodri, who was suspended for an incident involving Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, where he grabbed Gibbs-White around the throat. City lost all three of those matches.
Mikel Arteta commended his players’ ‘courage’ after Gabriel Martinelli’s late deflected shot secured Arsenal the victory over Manchester City. The two title contenders were deadlocked at 0-0 going into the final five minutes at the Emirates before the hosts claimed victory, moving ahead of their rivals into second place in the Premier League.
Haaland is also experiencing difficulties in replicating his form from last season, having scored just 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 had a more challenging afternoon and should have been reduced to 10 men when Mateo Kovacic made a late and reckless challenge on Declan Rice in the first half. Kovacic had just received a yellow card for a similarly reckless 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 highly likely. 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.”