'I'm surprised': Premier League expert baffled by what he saw from two Arsenal players vs Man City

Today at 02:45 PM

Manchester City left it late to steal a point from Arsenal in an exciting 2-2 draw against the north London side at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola was left physically frustrated after Riccardo Calafiori’s wonder goal for Arsenal in the first half as John Stones became the hero for City with a 98th-minute equaliser against Mikel Arteta’s side, who went down to ten men before halftime.

With the top six now separated by just three points, the first six games of the new Premier League season have given a potential glimpse into what could be a thrilling campaign in the English top-flight with Arsenal, City and Liverpool setting the pace for the title race.

Yet Premier League expert Jim Beglin was critical of two Arsenal players against City.

Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba questioned after Erling Haaland goal

Speaking to the Premier League’s official website, the pundit was critical of how Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba were positioned for Erling Haaland’s opening goal, with the Arsenal defenders unusually off the pace when facing the City striker.

Beglin said: “I’m surprised the two best centre back pairing haven’t shut the gap. It was a lovely weighted pass from Savinho and then [Haaland] doesn’ think twice these days. When City are storming, Haaland is the thunder and lightning.”

With the Arsenal centre-backs shoring up after the goal and Gabriel even scoring to put the Gunners ahead, it’s safe to say that the defensive duo learned their lesson quickly whilst facing City this afternoon.

However, given how good Gabriel and Saliba have been this year, the pair will be fuming with how easy they allowed Haaland to score at the Etihad, with the City striker finding it too easy to find space to exploit the Arsenal defence.

Gabriel and Saliba know they could have done better vs City

Gabriel and Saliba are the best centre-back duo in the Premier League, with the defenders two of the most important players in Arteta’s system and a key reason behind Arsenal’s success in the last two years.

Yet today at the Etihad, Gabriel and Saliba will be the first to admit that they could have done better against City, with Haaland slipping in too easily in the opening stages of the match to open up the scoring.

And although the pair grew into the game, that initial mistake cost Arsenal three historic points at the Etihad, with Gabriel and Saliba ware that they are at fault for the win not coming back to north London.