Arsenal and Manchester City have played out a number of memorable matches over the years and here we take a look at ten of the very best.
Arsenal and Manchester City have frequently found themselves tussling at the top of the table over the past few seasons and they are expected to be in the mix again at the business end of this campaign, with both sides among the favourites in the Premier League betting for the title.
While the Gunners have a long-standing history with the red half of Manchester, their rivalry with United’s noisy neighbours only began in earnest following the Abu Dhabi United Group’s takeover of the club.
That resulted in the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, and Samir Nasri moving north to the Etihad and drawing criticism from then-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
With that fixture to look forward to, we have ranked the 10 best Arsenal v Man City matches.
10. Arsenal 0-3 Manchester City – February 2018
After a tumultuous season on and off the pitch, Arsenal had the chance to ease supporters’ concerns at Wembley, but they were outplayed in the EFL Cup final, with club-record signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang failing to make an impression.
The Gunners had just five shots on goal as City strolled to a 3-0 win, with Guardiola gaining a measure of revenge following his 2017 FA Cup semi-final defeat and lifting the first of many trophies for the club.
Legendary Arsenal manager Wenger would announce he was leaving the club just two months later.
9. Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City – October 2023
While far from a classic on the pitch, a late deflected Gabriel Martinelli winner gave Arsenal their first Premier League win over City since 2015, ending a 12-game losing streak to their rivals.
This would mark a turning point in the rivalry, with Arsenal claiming their first point away to City in seven years later that season.
8. Arsenal 1-3 Manchester City – February 2023
After finishing fifth in the 2021/22 season, Arteta brought in Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from City and they would help the Gunners mount their first Premier League title challenge since 2015/16.
They led the way by three points as they welcomed their rivals to the Emirates in February, but a first-half opener from Kevin De Bruyne set the tone, with the Citizens going on to win 3-1, leapfrogging Arsenal at the top of the table and going on to win their third successive title.
7. Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City (AET) – April 2017
While City dominated the Premier League standings, Arsenal continued to impress in the FA Cup, denying Pep Guardiola the chance to lift a trophy in his first season in Manchester with a victory against the odds at Wembley.
Despite having just nine shots to the Citizens’ 20, the Gunners took the tie to extra-time, with Alexis Sanchez scoring a 101st-minute winner to set up an FA Cup final against Chelsea, where Arsene Wenger would win the final major trophy of his managerial career.
6. Arsenal 2-0 Manchester City – July 2020
After the sacking of Unai Emery in 2019, Arsenal appointed former midfielder and then City assistant manager Mikel Arteta as their new head coach, and the Gunners’ new era was heralded seven months later.
Arteta lost his first meeting with his former employers 3-0 in June 2020, but a brace from Aubameyang in front of an empty Wembley Stadium sent Arsenal to yet another FA Cup final a month later and, notably, ended a run of seven successive defeats against the Citizens.
5. Manchester City 6-3 Arsenal – December 2013
Samir Nasri and Gael Glichy became the latest Gunners players to swap the Emirates for the Etihad in 2011 and two years later they were involved in a nine-goal thriller against their former club.
Nasri laid on the assist for City’s fifth goal that afternoon, with the hosts going on to win 6-3 en route to their fourth top-flight title.
4. Manchester City 4-1 Arsenal – April 2023
The 3-1 win at the Emirates was far from the end of the story in the 2022/23 title race. Arsenal bounced back well from their defeat to open up a 10-point lead at the top of the table, but Guardiola brought the Gunners’ dreams crashing down in the run-in.
De Bruyne and Erling Haaland put on a masterclass at the Etihad, thrashing Arsenal 4-1 and turning the tide of the title battle.
Arteta’s side went on to win just three of their final nine games, relinquishing their lead to finish five points behind City.
3. Arsenal 5-1 Manchester City – February 2025
With Liverpool romping to the Premier League title, Arsenal looked to close the gap on the leaders as they hosted a below-par City side in February and they got off to a flying start with a second-minute Martin Odegaard goal.
The tie was nowhere near as one-sided as the scoreline suggests, but the hosts were ruthless in the second half, scoring four goals without reply after Haaland’s equaliser, including a first-ever senior goal for Myles Lewis-Skelly.
2. Manchester City 4-2 Arsenal – September 2009
With Arsenal reeling after the loss of Adebayor and Toure to City, the first meeting between these sides in the 2009/10 season promised fireworks and it was the Togolese striker who delivered.
With the Citizens leading 2-1, Adebayor responded to the visiting supporters’ abuse by scoring what would prove to be the winning goal before running the length of the pitch in his now-famous celebration in front of the Gunners support.
Shaun Wright-Phillips and Tomas Rosicky added to the goal count, but it was Adebayor who took the headlines and set this rivalry in motion.
1. Manchester City 2-2 Arsenal – September 2024
With Arsenal established as regular title challengers, meetings between the pair became more significant and Arsenal looked set for their first win at City in almost a decade after Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel gave them a 2-1 lead.
But John Stones had a different idea, scoring a 98th-minute equaliser with City’s 33rd shot on goal and contributing to Arsenal’s third consecutive runners-up medal.
