Pep Guardiola plants kiss on cheek of fourth official after telling off

Pep Guardiola lightened the mood on the touchline during Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, sharing an unusual moment with fourth official Craig Pawson.

City had taken an early lead through Erling Haaland’s ninth-minute strike and looked on course for victory before the Gunners struck back late on.

In the closing stages, Guardiola found himself in a lively exchange with Pawson on the sidelines.

Instead of letting the telling-off get to him, the City boss suddenly leaned in and planted a kiss on Pawson’s cheek. The official stepped back, momentarily startled but with a smile, before resuming his duties, while Guardiola chuckled with his hands on his hips – both clearly seeing the funny side.

Guardiola’s grin didn’t last long, however. Moments later, after Pawson signalled seven minutes of injury time, City conceded deep into stoppage time. Gabriel Martinelli rescued a point for Arsenal, superbly chipping Gianluigi Donnarumma to cancel out Haaland’s opener.

The result means Arsenal remain unbeaten in their last five Premier League meetings with City.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Guardiola praised his side’s resilience.

"Today we played against a powerful team," he said. "Hats off to our team for the resilience. It's so difficult when you're not effective with high pressing, it's always tough in the build-up. We made some transitions. I think the result is fair. In general, Arsenal were better."

No mention of the kiss, though. Poor Craig Pawson.

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