Pep Guardiola tried to kiss fourth official Craig Pawson during Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday.
The bizarre incident occurred in the 89th minute of the match while City were still leading in north London thanks to Erling Haaland’s opening goal.
Just minutes before Gabriel Martinelli’s equaliser, the City manager grabbed Pawson by the cheek and tried to give him a little smooch.
Pawson narrowly managed to swerve the kiss in a moment which has since gone viral on social media, leading to memes across the web.
It is unclear why Guardiola tried to give Pawson a peck but the Spaniard was quizzed about getting ’emotional’ in his post-match press conference.
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Asked why he seemed emotional while applauding the City supporters in the away end after the full-time whistle, Guardiola explained: ‘I was looking for my daughter [in the crowd].
‘I tried to look for her – but I couldn’t find her. At the end, when everybody went home to drink a beer, I saw my daughter. At the end, I found her.’
Metro at the Match: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City
Metro at the Match returns to bring you all the analysis from the biggest games of the season.
Here are our team’s key takeaways from Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City.
Anonymous Gyokeres again
‘Viktor Gyokeres struggled to have any sort of impact for Arsenal again, which is becoming a worrying pattern when they face a good side.
‘It remains early in the Swede’s Arsenal career but he has been concerningly anonymous in the majority of games he has played so far.
‘Goals have come at home against Leeds and Nottingham Forest, but he has been completely forgettable against the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Athletic Club and now Manchester City.
‘Gyokeres may well end the season with decent numbers if he continues to be a flat track bully, but will he win Arsenal the Premier League? Probably not.’ Phil Haigh – sports reporter.
Arteta gets midfield selection all wrong
‘Given the criticism Mikel Arteta faced for his midfield selection in the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool this season, it was a shock to see him go with the same trio at home to Manchester City.
‘Arsenal were far too negative in that match at Anfield and it was the same problem in the first-half against City as Arteta named Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino in his XI.
‘The Gunners were lacking in the creative department, especially with Martin Odegaard out injured and Bukayo Saka deemed not fit enough to start.
‘Eberechi Eze was dropped to the bench – a decision which baffled the pundits – and Arteta was surely aware of his error as he decided to bring on Eze and Saka for Merino and Noni Madueke at the break.
‘That’s twice this season Arteta has got his selection wrong in big games this season and he must learn from this mistake.’ Liam Grace – sports reporter.
Haaland wins this round with arch rival Gabriel
‘This was the latest battle in the ongoing war between Erling Haaland and Gabriel Magalhães and it was a clear win for the giant Norwegian.
‘Haaland left Gabriel in his wake as he sprinted beyond the Arsenal defence to score the opener, calmly finishing to put his team ahead.
‘The Brazilian was made to look slow, which he isn’t, but the Manchester City superstar looks like a powerful race horse when he gets going and he wasn’t going to be caught.
‘The rivalry was sparked when Haaland threw the ball at Gabriel’s head after a Manchester City equaliser in September last year, with the Arsenal man gaining revenge by screaming in the Norwegian’s face during the Gunners’ rampant 5-1 win in February.
‘No doubt Haaland has regained the upper hand.’ Phil Haigh – sports reporter.
Guardiola: The result was fair
Speaking to the BBC after the match, Guardiola said: ‘[I am] disappointed with the result, yes, but last season we equalised in the last moment at the Etihad and they equalise here. It’s football. It’s 97 or 98 minutes.
‘We were incredibly strong. It has been a really tough week for us with tough opponents and then Thursday to Sunday and travel to London, it is demanding. And the opponent is really good, so the result is fair.
‘[We are] still trying to grow. Many new players, including an important position with the keeper.
‘Many players are injured. This is a young, young team, the youngest team we have had and will be for the future.
‘Step by step, we see what happens. It is a long journey, so we take it game by game.
‘We were strong mentally. It’s difficult to play when our intentional high pressing is not working because they are good.
‘Last season we lost 5-1 and today we drew. We can’t say we’re satisfied but we can’t say it’s not a fair result.’
Manchester City have won just seven points from their opening five Premier League matches – their worst return after five league games of a campaign since 2006-07.
Football pundit and former City defender Micah Richards said Guardiola’s team played more like a side coached by Jose Mourinho or Sam Allardyce against Arsenal.
‘I think it was a different type of City and the stats reflect that,’ he said on Sky Sports. ‘You expect Man City to dominate the ball but Arsenal dominated the ball and just couldn’t do what they wanted in the final third. That’s not Pep’s style of play. That’s Mourinho or Allardyce.’
