A dejected Gabriel was one of the first Arsenal players to slump to the sodden Etihad Stadium turf.
Mikel Arteta looked up in despair towards slate grey Mancunian skies as a first ever victory over Pep Guardiola on City soil slipped agonisingly from his grasp.
Seconds earlier, Gabriel and William Saliba, his fellow rock at the heart of Arsenal’s exhausted defence, were animatedly slapping their palms together in celebration of clearing yet another City attack behind for a corner.
It was intended to be one last show of defiance, after surviving a sky blue bombardment, but then disaster struck for Arteta as Arsenal, forced to play a whole half with ten men after Leandro Trossard’s needless red card, were denied by a stoppage time sucker-punch.
It was arguably the only time after Trossard’s avoidable dismissal on the stroke of half time that the visitors allowed their weary minds to switch off, enabling desperate City to work a short corner into the penalty area.
Mateo Kovacic’s initial low shot sparked a frantic goalmouth scramble, eventually allowing City substitute John Stones to thump the ball home from point blank range and make himself the champions’ unlikely goalscoring savour.
Stones’ strike rescued the hosts from what would have been their first home defeat in 681 long days – since before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar had even started.
Earlier, Arsenal had fought back brilliantly from falling behind to Erling Haaland’s 100th City goal to lead 2-1 through full debutante Riccardo Caliafori’s thunderbolt and what is becoming a trademark Gabriel header from a corner.
The game turned back in City’s favour when Trossard, having already been booked for tugging back Savinho to stop a potential counter attack, kicked the ball away in frustration after being penalised for a very obvious foul on Bernardo Silva.
What followed in the second half was one of the most incredible displays of defiance ever witnessed against a Guardiola team at the Etihad.
Brave block after brave block and brilliant save after brilliant save from David Raya, who is increasingly staking claim to be regarded as the Premier League’s best goalkeeper.
At times the Arsenal penalty area resembled the set of a war film as the men in red put their battered bodies on the line time after time, soaking up 94 per cent City possession in a second half lasting almost 55 minutes.
This at the end of a week in which they had won at Tottenham without captain Martin Odegaard and midfield kingpin Declan Rice and gone away to Atlanta to draw 0-0 in their Champions League opener.
The visitors also frustrated the City fans with their dark arts as countless players went down with ‘cramp’ and Declan Rice was yellow carded for taking too long over an attacking free-kick as the seconds ticked by.
Arteta afterwards praised his courageous Gunners and while it won’t feel like it straight away, this should be viewed as another major sign this is a different Arsenal.
The tone was set inside five seconds when, straight from kick-off, Kai Havertz flattened Rodri with his shoulder, signalling Arsenal’s intent to match their hosts for physicality.
Gone is the soft underbelly and the ability to be bullied or intimidated by teams of the skill and stature of City.
No longer do Arteta’s men buckle under pressure. Whisper it quietly, but the Spaniard has assembled his very own Mentality Monsters.
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