Arsenal defender Gabriel has played down the on-field incident where Erling Haaland threw the ball at him during Sunday’s heated 2-2 draw with Manchester City. Despite the fiery nature of the match, Gabriel warned that Arsenal will be “waiting for them” in the return fixture.
What had been a salivating contest between the Premier League champions and Arsenal turned into a tense test of character for both sides after the visitors were reduced to 10 men at the Etihad Stadium in the wake of Leandro Trossard’s highly controversial red card. John Stones secured a dramatic 98-minute equalizer for City, after Gabriel and Haaland had found the net earlier in the game.
Immediately after Stones’ goal, Haaland kicked the ball at Gabriel’s head, but the Arsenal defender seemed to not have noticed what happened. Speaking with TNT Sports Brasil after the match, Gabriel downplayed the incident as a ‘heat-of-the-moment‘ gesture.
I don’t even remember this,” Gabriel said. “They were happy after scoring in the last minute, they were playing home so it was their duty to win. But our team did really well to resist.”
“It’s a battle, a war, provocations are part of the game. Now it’s over, and we are waiting for them at our ground.”.
Haaland, though, faces no disciplinary sanction whatever following the result. The setback for City is the possible loss of midfielder Rodri for the rest of the season due to his ACL injury. Arsenal and City again face off on February 1, 2025, at Emirates Stadium in what is sure to be another pulsating encounter.
