Gabriel Martinelli scored a wonderful 93rd-minute equaliser as Arsenal salvaged a 1-1 draw against Premier League rivals Manchester City at Emirates Stadium.
City looked set to leave north London with all three points as they held out for the majority of Sunday’s huge match after Erling Haaland combined with Tijjani Reijnders to score an excellent breakaway goal in the ninth minute.
Pep Guardiola's team sat deep in an attempt to protect that lead, and even the half-time introductions of Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze failed to spark Arsenal into an immediate upturn.
But in second-half stoppage time, Eze dropped deep to loft a pass over City's backline, and Martinelli beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a delicate, outside-of-the-boot lob.
While Arsenal are back up to second place, they are already five points adrift of defending champions Liverpool. City, meanwhile, are three points back from the Gunners in ninth.
How the match unfolded
City scored from their first attack as Haaland offloaded to Reijnders inside his own half before continuing his run. The Norwegian received a return ball from the Netherlands international, then applied a cool finish into the bottom-left corner.
In front of a frustrated home crowd, Arsenal did not create an opening until Donnarumma denied Noni Madueke at his near post in first-half stoppage time.
Saka and Eze came on after the break and the latter swiftly saw a ferocious half-volley parried by Donnarumma.
City then went close to a second goal against the run of play, but Haaland's angled drive was blocked by David Raya while Eze's clearance ricocheted off Declan Rice and spun over the crossbar.
Leandro Trossard had an effort blocked and saw an enticing centre fizz across goal without a touch, while Jeremy Doku was unable to flick home from a tight angle at the other end.
And just when it looked as though Arsenal were out of ideas, Eze's pinpoint pass found the run of substitute Martinelli, who took the ball in his stride before flicking over Donnarumma.
Two points dropped for Arsenal?
When Arsenal faced Liverpool at Anfield in August, they only managed one shot on target in a toothless attacking display, and they could have few complaints when Dominik Szoboszlai's stunning free-kick condemned them to defeat.
And the Gunners might regret their conservative approach in the first half of this match, which left them with too much to do after the interval.
With Martin Odegaard absent due to a shoulder injury and Saka only fit enough for a place on the bench after recovering from a hamstring issue, it was something of a surprise to see Eze start among the substitutes.
Arsenal spent much of the first half moving the ball from side to side without ever threatening to breach City's well-organised defence and Mikel Arteta recognised his team's shortcomings at the break, finally bringing on Saka and Eze.
The latter played a pivotal role in rescuing a point, dropping between Arsenal's centre-backs before picking out Martinelli's run with a wonderful over-the-top ball.
But in truth, Arsenal were limited to half-chances before that moment of inspiration from the Brazilian, who had replaced Jurrien Timber in the 80th minute.
Arteta will be relieved to avoid another damaging defeat to a direct rival, but five matches into 2025/26, his team are five points off the title pace.
Arsenal have plenty of time to eat into that deficit, but they will have to show more quality in the final third at Newcastle United next Sunday, with an EFL Cup tie at Port Vale to come before then.
Haaland stays humble, but City denied
It is no secret that there has been bad blood between Haaland and Arsenal in the past.
After a dramatic 2-2 draw against the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium 12 months ago, Haaland told Arteta to "stay humble", and that jibe seemed to fire up City's rivals ahead of February's return fixture.
After scoring in Arsenal's thumping 5-1 victory in that match, Myles Lewis-Skelly imitated Haaland's iconic meditation celebration.
But City's superstar striker opted against an over-the-top reaction after netting here, instead crediting Reijnders for his role in the sweeping move which ended with Haaland's sixth Premier League goal of the season (below).
Haaland galloped half the length of the pitch before slotting home right-footed, leaving Gabriel Magalhaes – another Arsenal player he has clashed with in the past – trailing in his wake.
With Arsenal bossing possession from then on, City took a more direct approach than usual. But Haaland relished his tussles with Gabriel and William Saliba, giving the visitors a route to get up the pitch.
Indeed, when Guardiola replaced Haaland with defensive midfielder Nico Gonzalez in the 76th minute, City were left without a focal point and invited additional pressure, which they could not absorb.
If he had his time again, Guardiola may well have altered that approach, and City may also see this result as two points dropped ahead of a busy week that begins with a visit to Huddersfield Town in the EFL Cup before hosting Burnley in the league.
Club reports
Arsenal report | Man City report
What the managers said
Mikel Arteta: "At the very least [we deserved a point]. I'm so proud of my players, the way we played, the way we dominated almost every aspect of the game. Very disappointed not to win the game. I think we played better than last year when we beat them. Much better."
Pep Guardiola: "I think the result is fair. In general Arsenal were better. It was so demanding today and Arsenal have everything - we defended the corners so well. We'll take the point, we have to improve but it is what it is."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Arteta is the first manager to avoid defeat in five consecutive league matches against Guardiola, with his Arsenal side winning twice and drawing the other three across their last five Premier League meetings with Guardiola’s City.
Martinelli has been directly involved in four Premier League goals against Guardiola's City (two goals, two assists), more than any other Arsenal player since 2016/17 (Guardiola's first season).
Man City recorded their lowest ever possession average by a Guardiola team in a top-flight league match (today his 601st), while the two lowest have both been in matches away to Arsenal in the Premier League (32.8 per cent today, 36.5 per cent in March 2023).