Ian Wright blasts Erling Haaland for ‘coward’s move’ in heated Arsenal incident

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Arsenal great Ian Wright criticized Erling Haaland for what he described as a "cowardly act" after the Manchester City forward threw the ball at rival defender Gabriel's head following their tension-filled equalizer on Sunday.

Haaland found himself in the middle of a tense showdown at the Etihad Stadium. Emotions ran high after John Stones scored a last-minute equalizer in the 98th minute, which dashed Arsenal's hopes of a memorable victory despite having played the second half with just 10 players.

Haaland, who netted his 100th goal for City, had been engaged in an ongoing tussle with Arsenal defenders Gabriel and William Saliba. After the match, he had a heated exchange with Gunners manager Mikel Arteta, advising him to “stay humble.”

Prior to that moment, the Norwegian player reacted to the last-minute equalizer by picking the ball out of the net and tossing it gently at Gabriel's head. The Brazilian, who had his face covered with his shirt and was turned away, was caught off guard when Haaland hit him with the ball.

In a post on Instagram, former Arsenal forward Wright expressed that he believed Haaland should have acted differently. He mentioned that the 24-year-old's actions bothered him more than the controversial red card given to Leandro Trossard right before halftime.

"What really got me fired up was Haaland's gutless act," Wright expressed. "He threw the ball at Gabi when he wasn't paying attention, with his back turned. That's just a cowardly move. Gabi would stand up to him and face him directly."

“I see this as an exciting matchup between a top defender and a skilled striker for the future. I truly enjoy watching both of them play, but then something like that happens, which feels like a cowardly decision."

"What bothered me the most was that I expected more from you, Haaland."

The situation was reviewed by VAR, but it was concluded that it did not warrant a red card.

As Arsenal resumed play with a kick-off, Haaland charged straight towards Gabriel, leading to another clash between the competing teams for the Premier League title.

After the match ended, Haaland patted Arteta on the back and reminded him to "keep humble, alright, just keep humble."

Haaland shoved Gabriel Jesus aside while Jack Grealish intervened to break them up. Meanwhile, Arteta pulled Ben White and Jesus away from the situation, guiding them toward the Arsenal fans.

In another event, Haaland was spotted questioning the 17-year-old Arsenal midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly with the words: “Who the heck are you?”