In September, Erling Haaland made no apologies for throwing the ball at Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes during Manchester City’s dramatic 2-2 draw with the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium. The Norwegian striker opened the scoring early, before goals from Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel put Arsenal ahead. The visitors were reduced to ten men after Leandro Trossard’s first-half red card.
City went on to dominate the second half, with John Stones netting a 98-minute equalizer. Haaland celebrated by hurling the ball at Gabriel-a player he had been fighting with all game. Referees and the FA did nothing about it, but the incident drew notice.
The highly-rated striker was criticised for his reaction after an incident involving Arsenal centre-back Gabriel in their 3-1 Premier League win at Etihad Stadium. Speaking during the October international break, Haaland shrugged off the criticism, saying, “I don’t regret much in life. What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch.” Gabriel also played the incident down, claiming it was “normal in a battle” and promised to be prepared for when the teams next meet.
However, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright took the matter a notch higher when he rebuked Haaland’s actions as a “coward’s move” over social media. The drama didn’t end with the final whistle, as one could see Haaland telling Mikel Arteta to “stay humble,” while also having an argument with ex-City teammate Gabriel Jesus.
