What Declan Rice has 'never seen' from Man City before as Arsenal frustration shared

Declan Rice has revealed that Manchester City's defensive approach at Arsenal, which saw them finish with five at the back, demonstrated the clear respect Pep Guardiola holds for the Gunners' attacking prowess.

The midfielder insisted he had "never seen them" deploy such a cautious tactical setup before.

City grabbed an early lead through Erling Haaland at the Emirates and appeared destined for a 1-0 triumph, before Gabriel Martinelli struck deep into stoppage time with a stunning effort to secure a dramatic draw.

Before that crucial equaliser, Guardiola had withdrawn several of his attacking threats in favour of additional defensive reinforcements.

Stars like Haaland and Phil Foden were hauled off as John Stones and Nathan Ake entered the fray, ultimately leaving City operating in a 5-4-1 shape as they desperately sought to preserve their advantage, reports the Mirror.

Whilst they came agonisingly close to holding on, Rice maintains their decision to adopt such a defensive stance represented enormous recognition of Arsenal's dominance throughout the encounter.

The Gunners eventually registered 12 attempts on target whilst enjoying nearly 70% possession.

Rice commented: "In the end, they changed to a back five, went to a 5-4-1, which I've never seen them do, obviously trying to hang on. Obviously, to get the draw at the end was good for us."

The England international added: "I think we've gained the respect of the opposition, they know the quality that we have, back to front. I think in my time here at Arsenal, we probably haven't dominated a game like that against Man City like we did today.

"I thought in the first half, we passed and moved really well, and in the second it was constant pressure. There was always that threat from them off the counter-attack. I think we thoroughly deserved the goal. I think if we had come away losing that game we would have been really disappointed."

The draw ultimately suited Liverpool, who are now five points clear of Arsenal and eight ahead of City as they maintained their perfect start to the campaign.

When it was suggested to Guardiola that his team's possession was the lowest they'd ever managed under him, he responded: "I cannot live in this country with another record you know that, so I'm so proud of that.

"I give a lot of credit to Arsenal for what they have done. Okay, one time in 10 years is not bad, right?".

He then added: "I have to prove myself again [in] another strategy. Now I'm a transition team, you know that."

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