Erling Haaland refuses to apologise to Gabriel after Man City star angered Arsenal

Erling Haaland says he has no regrets over his decision to throw a ball at the head of Arsenal’s Gabriel.

The Manchester City forward retrieved the ball from the net and bounced it off the back of Gabriel’s head after John Stones’ 98th-minute goal secured a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium last month.

The incident led to a heated exchange between both teams at the final whistle following the contentious clash between the title contenders, which saw Leandro Trossard sent off and Mikel Arteta’s team accused of “dirty tricks” by City’s players.

Despite facing the possibility of retrospective action from the FA and a potential ban, Haaland avoided punishment as VAR had reviewed the incident and took no action at the time.

Gabriel further fuelled the title rivalry by warning reigning champions City that Arsenal would be seeking retribution when they face each other again at the Emirates later this season. The Brazilian defender boldly stated: “We are waiting for them at our ground.”

However, in a move unlikely to escalate tensions between the two clubs, Haaland declared he does not regret his actions and advised Arsenal to stop complaining.

Haaland said: “I don’t regret much in life. In the heat of the moment, things happened in that game. What happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch. That’s how it is.”

Gabriel later shrugged off the incident, suggesting it was just part of the competitive spirit of the game. Speaking to TNT Sports Brasil, he remarked: “I don’t even remember this. It’s normal, they were happy after scoring in the last minute.

“They were playing at home, so their duty was to win the match, but our team did really well to resist. It’s a battle, a war, so it’s normal to have provocative acts in football, it’s part of the game. Now this is over and we are waiting for them at our ground.”

While Gabriel appeared nonchalant about the clash, Arsenal icon Ian Wright was incensed with Haaland’s behaviour. He lambasted the City forward as a ‘coward’ for his actions towards the defender.

“The one thing that boiled me up properly was Haaland’s coward’s move. Throwing the ball at Gabi’s head when he’s not looking. When Gabi’s back’s turned to him,” Wright fumed in an Instagram video.

“Real coward’s move. Gabi would look him in the eye, you know. That’s what bothered me more than anything else. I thought you [Haaland] were bigger than that.”