Erling Haaland will AVOID punishment after throwing the ball at Gabriel’s head during Manchester City’s fiery 2-2 draw against title rivals Arsenal

Erling Haaland will not receive a retrospective penalty after throwing the match ball at Gabriel Magalhaes’ head moments after Manchester City equalised against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Man City, who took an early lead in the fiercely contested match through Haaland, trailed 2-1 at half-time after Riccardo Calafiori equalised from distance and Gabriel headed in a corner.

However, Arsenal were reduced to 10 men after Leandro Trossard was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away, and they opted to defend for the rest of the game in the hope of holding on to their slim lead.

John Stones finally gave City a vital point with the 98th-minute equaliser after the champions had enjoyed 88 per cent possession in the second half.

Full of energy after his team-mate’s late equaliser, Haaland ran the ball out of the goal and threw it straight to Gabriel, who sat there with his face in his shirt in disappointment.

Haaland collected the ball after John Stones’ equaliser and threw it at the back of Gabriel’s head

They faced each other at the final whistle, with the Brazilian clearly angry at the striker’s behaviour

Haaland provided a thrilling battle at the end of Sunday’s exciting match, which ended in a 2-2 draw

The ball hit the back of the Brazilian’s head and bounced back into the goal, sparking anger from the dispirited Arsenal players.

The VAR investigated the incident and ruled that no action was necessary at the time. It is also reported that the Norwegian will not receive a retroactive penalty.

Straight after the break, Haaland shoved Thomas Partey, sending the midfielder to the ground in one fell swoop, sparking a brawl with Gabriel and his Gunners team-mates right inside Arsenal’s half.

Micah Richards admitted it is positive to ‘see a bit of a needle’ ahead of what promises to be another thrilling title race, but fellow analyst Roy Keane stressed that throwing the ball at the back of someone’s head is a step too far.

“You don’t need that, you don’t need that,” Keane said on Sky Sports after the game. “Someone throwing you in the back of the head… I don’t mind that bit (Haaland’s row with Gabriel after the smack on Partey), but you don’t need that.”

Asked if City and Arsenal are now becoming ‘real rivals’, Keane added: ‘Yeah, it’s nice to see. You need that bit of extra attention because City know Arsenal are trying to hunt them down. And the more you dislike a team, the more respect you get for it.

Arsenal were left devastated after conceding the final goal, having defended brilliantly with 10 men throughout the second half against the perennial Premier League champions

Roy Keane insisted the ball-throwing incident was a step too far after the heated confrontation

Micah Richards, right, agreed, but admitted it was “good to see a little bit of slack” between them

“I think it’s great to see that, it adds to the game. Obviously we know there are quality players on the pitch, but the needle we’ve seen there a couple of times, I think it’s great.”

When asked if Haaland should be criticised for his behaviour in those moments, Richards said: ‘Well, the ball in the back of his head is not good, but all that stuff with needles, no, that’s what you want.

“He’s up against two central defenders (Gabriel and William Saliba) who have dominated the last few games. He scored today, he’s happy, that’s the difference.”