Gabriel Martinelli rescued Arsenal as the Brazilian`s last-gasp equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Sunday when Pep Guardiola`s defensive tactics backfired at the Emirates Stadium. With City clinging to the lead given to them by Erling Haaland early in the first half, Guardiola made a series of unusually cautious substitutions that left his side without a recognised striker on the pitch in the closing stages. But Guardiola`s willingness to sacrifice his purist principles for a more pragmatic approach came back to haunt him.

It was a change made by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta that proved decisive as Martinelli came off the bench to spare his team from a second defeat to a title rival after their loss at champions Liverpool in August. "We don`t try to be like this but when the opponent is better we defend deeper and counter-attack," Guardiola said. "I would prefer not to do it but you have to at this level. I take a point and in some games we have to adjust. I think the result is fair. "We played against a powerful team. We were incredibly tired. We had a lot of fatigue with many players. We also have a lot of injuries." Arsenal moved up to second place, five points behind Liverpool, while City are languishing in ninth with just two wins from their first five league matches. "I`m so proud of my players, the way we dominated almost every aspect of the game. Very disappointed not to win," Arteta said.