Pep Guardiola relieved the mood to the contact line during Manchester City 1-1 tie with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, sharing an unusual moment with the fourth officer of Craig Pawson.
The city had made an early advantage through the Erling Haaland strike and looked at the victory before the Gunners became late.
In the closing stages, Guardiola was found in a lively exchange with Pawson on the sidelines.
Instead of letting the theme come to him, the city’s head was suddenly inclined and stood a kiss on Pawson’s cheek. The officer turned back, moving momentarily, but with a smile, before resuming his duties, while Guardiola laughed with his hands on his hips, both of which clearly see the fun.
Pep Guardiola has just kissed the fourth officer and added 7 minutes of additional time 😭😭😂😂#Arsmcipic.twitter.com/ouver8p8r
– Austine ✪ (@austinooffical) September 21, 2025
Guardiola’s smile didn’t last long. A few moments later, after Pawson pointed out seven minutes of injury time, City granted the stop in time. Gabriel Martinelli rescued a point for Arsenal, with Gianluigi Donnarumma, magnificently foolish to cancel the opening of Haaland.
The result means that the Arsenal remains unbeaten in its last five Premier League meetings with City.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Guardiola praised the resilience on his side.
“We played against a powerful team today,” he said. “Hats on our team for resilience. It’s so difficult when you are not effective with a big press, it is always difficult in accumulation. We have made some transitions. I think the result is fair. In general, the arsenal was better.”
However, he does not mention the kiss. Poor Craig Pawson.
