Erling Haaland told he was 'rattled' by Gabriel as ex-Man Utd defender explains why Man City star threw ball at Brazilian's head during feisty draw with Arsenal

Haaland launched the ball off of the back of the Brazilian's head after City scored a last-minute equaliser to seal a 2-2 draw in the Premier League clash. The incident has caused an uproar, but the City striker will face no punishment for his actions.

The Sunday showdown was a feisty affair that saw Arsenal reduced to 10 men when Leandro Trossard was sent off in the first half, while Gabriel went on to declare the game "a war", and ex-Manchester United defender Brown believes Haaland had been affected by the Brazilian defender earlier in the game.

He told Instant Casino: "I think Gabriel rattled Erling Haaland a little bit the other day. You could see there were a few little squabbles between the pair, and I think that means that Haaland knew that he was having a tough game against Gabriel, even though he scored. He’d probably lap it up if he was having a good game so you can tell that he must have got to him throughout the match.

"It can be easy to lose your head a bit at times. It was a big game between the two best sides in the league and I reckon it’ll be those two at the top again. Manchester City scored that late goal but they’ll still be disappointed with drawing the game – it was a chance for them to pull away a little bit. You could see it was a very physical game so it’s no surprise things spilled over a little bit between the players."

Arsenal are in Carabao Cup action on Wednesday with a game against Bolton, while Manchester City take on Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday.