Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes has warned Manchester City that the Gunners will be "waiting" for them at the Emirates following their fiery 2-2 Premier League draw at the Etihad, but the Brazilian played down Erling Haaland's ball throw to the back of his head.
The Brazilian was in the thick of the action on Sunday afternoon, where Haaland's 100th goal for the Citizens preceded a beautiful leveller from full debutant Riccardo Calafiori.
Arsenal's set-piece mastery then came to the fore once again, as in a carbon copy of their winner against Tottenham Hotspur, the Gunners took the lead as Gabriel powered in a header from a Bukayo Saka corner.
The 26-year-old then played an integral role in his side's defensive efforts with 10 men in the second half, where Arsenal's controversial tactics of gamesmanship and all-out defending very nearly led to their first win at the Etihad since January 2015.
However, in the eighth minute of second-half injury time, substitute John Stones bundled in a dramatic leveller to send the home crowd into delirium, and Haaland was seen throwing the ball at the back of Gabriel's head during the celebrations.
Gabriel plays down Haaland incident in Man City "war"
🚨🇳🇴 Erling Haaland not expected to face any retrospective punishment for throwing the ball at the back of Gabriel Magalhaes' head.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 23, 2024
VAR reviewed the incident at the time, and deemed no action was necessary, @Jack_Gaughan reports. pic.twitter.com/e714HRzizu
The Arsenal man had covered his face with his shirt in dismay at the time of the incident and did not react, although tempers flared between two sets of players at full time, with Haaland engaging in a war of words with both Gabriel Jesus and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
On-field referee Michael Oliver missed Haaland launching the ball at Gabriel's head at the time, and the Norwegian striker will supposedly not face any retrospective action by the FA.
Gabriel - speaking to TNT Sports Brazil - insisted that the incident was just water under the bridge, although he issued a stern threat to Man City ahead of their visit to the Emirates in February.
"I don't even remember this. It's normal, they were happy after scoring in the last minute. They were playing at home, so their duty was to win the match, but our team did really well to resist," Gabriel said.
"It's a battle, a war, so it's normal to have provocative acts in football, it's part of the game. Now this is over and we are waiting for them at our ground."
Ian Wright slams "coward" Haaland for Gabriel ball throw
© Imago
While the former Lille defender was keen to draw a line under Haaland's ball-throw, former Arsenal record goalscorer Ian Wright blasted the Man City striker, labelling his antics 'cowardly' in a social media video.
"The one thing that boiled me up properly was Haaland's coward's move. Throwing the ball at Gabi's head when he's not looking. When Gabi's back's turned to him. Real coward's move," Wright said.
"Gabi would look him in the eye, you know. That's what bothered me more than anything else. I thought you [Haaland] were bigger than that."
Man City's last-gasp point keeps them at the top of the Premier League table on 13 points from their opening five games, two points and three places better off than Arsenal in fourth spot.
Both sides now switch their focus to the EFL Cup, as Pep Guardiola's men host Watford on Tuesday evening, before the Gunners face Bolton Wanderers in the third round on Wednesday.
However, the Citizens have been dealt devastating news over the injury that Rodri suffered in the draw with Arsenal, while Mikel Arteta's side have lost Leandro Trossard to a one-game suspension following his sending off at the Etihad.
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