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This Sunday sees a huge fixture in the Premier League, as Arsenal welcome defending champions Manchester City to the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners remain managerless, with interim boss Freddie Ljungberg overseeing their last few games, while Pep Guardiola’s City came away from their midweek Champions League fixture with a 1-4 win over Dinamo Zagreb.
City should come into this match as favourites given their status as champions and Arsenal’s recent struggles, but with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe available to the hosts, anything is possible.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the last three meetings between these Premier League giants.
Manchester City 3-1 Arsenal
3rd February 2019, Premier League
Arsenal were swept aside by City at the Etihad in the last meeting between the two sides, with Sergio Aguero hitting a hat-trick to down Unai Emery’s Gunners. The win followed a shocking loss to Newcastle for Pep Guardiola’s side and kickstarted a run of 14 straight victories that saw the Citizens retain their Premier League title.
City got off to a flying start, with Aguero opening the scoring in the first minute of the game with a diving header following some slack marking from Arsenal defenders Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal. The lead could’ve been doubled minutes later, but Bernd Leno made an excellent save from Raheem Sterling.
The Gunners were able to equalise after 10 minutes when Koscielny sneaked a header in from a corner, but despite working themselves back into the match, they were always under severe pressure from City’s majestic attack, and Aymeric Laporte saw a goal disallowed for offside.
It came as no surprise when Aguero slotted home City’s second goal just before half-time following a wonderful move between Ilkay Gundogan and Sterling, and the Argentine hitman put the game beyond the Gunners early in the second half by bundling another Sterling cross into the net.
This was Aguero’s match, and he received a standing ovation when he was replaced by Gabriel Jesus with ten minutes to go.
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Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City
12th August 2018, Premier League
The opening day of the 2018-19 season saw reigning champions City get their title defence off to an excellent start with a commanding 0-2 win over Arsenal at the Emirates. The game sounded like a tricky fixture for Pep Guardiola’s men, but in execution, they made it look anything but.
Playing their first match without Arsene Wenger at the helm since 1996, the Gunners were restricted to just 3 shots on target in a total of 9 attempts, and City also bossed possession, taking a 58% share of the ball.
Raheem Sterling opened the scoring for Guardiola’s side, cutting into the box past Hector Bellerin and Matteo Guendouzi before rifling a right-footed shot into the net. After coming under criticism during the 2018 World Cup, this was the perfect answer to Sterling’s critics and was an early indicator of the fantastic season he’d enjoy.
It took until 64 minutes for the champions to double their lead; a low cross from Benjamin Mendy was finished excellently by Bernardo Silva, who smashed a left-footed shot into the net past Petr Cech, but it never really felt like Arsenal were capable of getting back into the game.
This was an excellent opening win for City – and a reality check for Arsenal’s then-new boss Unai Emery.
Arsenal 0-3 Manchester City
1st March 2018, Premier League
Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal were well beaten at the Emirates by City in this match, as Pep Guardiola’s men seemed to be unstoppable in their quest for the Premier League title. The win put them a massive 16 points ahead of their nearest rivals Manchester United, and after the match, Guardiola stated that the title was now “in their hands”.
Interestingly, the game came just four days after City had swept Arsenal aside to win the EFL Cup, and so the Gunners’ fans in attendance had little patience for Wenger and his side during this match, with some empty seats visible in the Emirates and several anti-Wenger chants audible.
The game was essentially ended during the first half; City’s attack simply cut Arsenal’s defence to ribbons, with a mazy run from Leroy Sane setting up Bernardo Silva’s opener after 15 minutes. City doubled their lead through David Silva on 28 minutes, and five minutes later the game was put beyond the Gunners when Leroy Sane slotted in following Kyle Walker’s cross.
Arsenal did have an opportunity to get back into the game in the second half; Wenger’s side were awarded a penalty when Henrikh Mkhitaryan was fouled in the box following a clumsy challenge from Nicolas Otamendi, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s spot-kick was saved by Ederson.
Overall, this was a comfortable win for Pep Guardiola’s men that piled a heap of pressure onto Wenger’s shoulders; the French veteran was gone from the Emirates just two months later.
