I cannot do it — Guardiola praises Arsenal's Gabriel

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola expressed awe over the highly-contested battle between Erling Haaland and Gabriel Magalhaes, hailing the Arsenal defender for being a tough competitor.

Manchester City secured a 2–1 victory against Arsenal at the Etihad, significantly boosting their Premier League title chances.

Erling Haaland scored the winning goal in the game, beating Gabriel to Nico O'Reilly's cut back into the box to immediately reduce Arsenal's margin at the summit to three points.

Despite tempers flaring up when the heavyweight matchup between the two stars reached a boiling point in the 83rd minute, Guardiola argued the contest was tasteful. 

In the highlight of battle, Gabriel appeared to thrust his head into Haaland's face after a prolonged grappling battle that left the Norwegian's undershirt torn.

Despite furious appeals and a VAR review by official John Brooks, referee Anthony Taylor controversially issued only yellow cards to both players, allowing the Brazilian to avoid a red card for violent conduct.

Still, Pep said, “I would not like to be Haaland and battle against Gabriel and Saliba. I prefer to read a book,” he said. “Definitely not. Dealing with those guys, how they do it, and he handled it. Really good.”

The 2-1 result drastically alters the complexion of the Premier League title race; Mikel Arteta’s side has now seen their once-comfortable six-point advantage slashed in half. 

With Manchester City currently sitting on 67 points and holding a vital game in hand, the momentum has firmly swung back to Guardiola's reigning champions.

The devastating defeat leaves an injury-hit Arsenal, who are desperately attempting to end a 22-year drought stretching back to their 2003/2004 Premier League triumph, clinging to a highly precarious three-point lead as the grueling season enters its final stretch.