Arsenal defender Gabriel was unaware that Erling Haaland threw the ball at him during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City, but warned he and his teammates will be ‘waiting for them’ in the return fixture.
The reigning Premier League champions and the Gunners played out a breathless and hot-tempered stalemate at the Etihad Stadium over the weekend. The visitors played the second half with 10 men after Leandro Trossard’s controversial red card and succumbed to a 98th-minute equaliser from John Stones.
Following Stones’ leveller, Haaland took the ball and launched it at the back of Gabriel’s head. The duo had both scored earlier in the game and endured an almighty battle as Arsenal sought to protect their lead.
Speaking to TNT Sports Brasil, post-match, Gabriel responded to Haaland’s actions before issuing a warning to City.
“I don’t even remember this,” he said of the incident.
“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.
“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.”
Haaland is not expected to receive any retrospective action for this discretion, though City are set to be without key midfielder Rodri for the rest of the season after he sustained an ACL injury during the opening exchanges of Sunday’s game.
City are slated to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on February 1, 2025.
