Ilkay Gundogan praises “very important” Manchester City teammate after Arsenal draw

Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan has praised one of his “very important” teammates following the club’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League.

The Premier League champions were unable to continue their perfect winning record on Sunday afternoon, but ensured that they took a point from the game after John Stones’ late equaliser.

Visitors Arsenal approached the contest with caution and that only got worse when they had Leandro Trossard sent off at the end of the first-half for a second bookable offence having kicked the ball away to delay the restart of play.

Fortunately for Pep Guardiola’s side, Manchester City finally managed to break down Mikel Arteta’s low block in the final moments of the game, having registered 28 shots on goal in the second 45 minutes.

Earlier on in the match, however, Erling Haaland scored the opening goal with a smart finish after an excellent run in between the Arsenal defensive line. It was the Norwegian’s 10th goal of the season and his 100th for Manchester City.

The 24-year-old sensation equalled Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo’s record at Real Madrid, reaching the century of goals in 105 appearances, to become the joint-fastest player to hit the landmark.

Ilkay Gundogan, who made his second start for Manchester City since returning to the club from FC Barcelona at the end of the summer transfer window, issued great praise for Erling Haaland after the game.

Asked about his record-breaking teammate, Ilkay Gundogan told Manchester City’s official club media, “The goals, they speak for him, you know.

“A very important player for us, not just for the goals he scores, also his attitude and the professionalism he brings to the pitch and inside the dressing room.

“The mentality. He is huge for us, he is huge for the club. We are delighted to have someone like Erling.”

With an upcoming clash against Watford in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, Erling Haaland will likely be named on the bench to get important rest ahead of the looming crunch fixtures in the Premier League and Champions League.

But the Norway international striker will only be thinking about the potential to increase his already-impressive goalscoring tally, and as such may insist on some form of appearance against the Hornets in midweek.