Manchester City recorded its lowest share of possession in a Premier League match under Pep Guardiola against Arsenal on Sunday.
Guardiola’s side had just 33 percent of the ball in a closely-fought contest. Erling Haaland gave City an early lead, but the Norwegian’s goal was cancelled out by a late equaliser from Gabriel Martinelli as the match ended 1-1.
The match is just the fourth instance of Manchester City recording under 40 percent possession while managed by Guardiola. The last instance of also came against Arsenal, during the 2022/23 season in a 3-1 Manchester City victory.
Erling Haaland was on the scoresheet on that day as well, capping off the victory after Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish had given City the lead. Bukayo Saka also netted a penalty for Arsenal during the match.
Both other instances, against Brighton (2020/21) and Wolves (2019/20), came in matches where it lost a player to a red card.
Here are all the instances of Manchester City recording less than 40 percent share of possession in a Premier League match under Pep Guardiola:
Matches where Manchester City recorded less than 40 percent share of possession in a Premier League match under Pep Guardiola:
Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City (2025/26) – 33 percent
Arsenal 1-3 Manchester City (2022/23) – 37 percent
Brighton 3-2 Manchester City (2020/21) – 37 percent
Wolves 3-2 Manchester City (2019/20) – 38 percent
Published on Sep 21, 2025
