Arsenal F.C.–Manchester City F.C. rivalry

Arsenal and Manchester City were not traditional rivals, the first game between the two clubs was a Football League Division Two match between Woolwich Arsenal and Ardwick on 11 November 1893, ending in a 1–0 win for Arsenal. The first 14 games between the two teams were played in the second division with City winning 8, Arsenal with 4 and 2 draws.[8]

Arsenal historically have had more success certainly during the 1990s and early 2000s. At the time of the Abu Dhabi United Group takeover of City in 2008, Arsenal had won thirteen domestic top-flight league titles, ten FA cups and two Football League Cups; City, conversely had won only two domestic top-flight league titles, four FA Cups and two Football League Cups. Arsenal under Arsène Wenger had also finished runners-up in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final and had been a consistent challenging team domestically since winning their first Premier League title in 1998. By 2008, Arsenal had not finished outside the top four since the 1995–96 season, whereas City had not finished in the top four since the 1977–78 season, although they did finish a place higher than Arsenal in the inaugural Premier League season in 1992–93. Despite finishing lower Arsenal defeated City 1–0 on both occasions during the season.[9]

Emmanuel Adebayor joined City from Arsenal in 2009.

Following Manchester City's takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, the club's increased spending on players began to rile several opposition managers with Arsène Wenger being particularly outspoken in his disapproval of City's financial approach on numerous occasions.[10][11][12]

During the summer of 2009, City, who had finished 10th in the previous season (six places behind Arsenal in 4th), would move to sign Gunners pair Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Touré. Adebayor had been the Gunners’ second-highest goal scorer in the previous season, where Toure was the club's vice-captain and a former Premier League winner who had amassed 326 appearances across all competitions.[13]

In the first game between the two teams during the 2009–10 season, City would win 4–2 at home with Adebayor scoring the third goal that, at the time, put City ahead; he would then run the length of the pitch before sliding on his knees and celebrating in front of the Arsenal supporters.[14] During the game he had caused controversy with a late tackle on Cesc Fàbregas and flicking a boot in the face of Robin van Persie. Adebayor received a yellow card and would later apologise for "losing his head" after what he described as two hours of abuse from Arsenal fans: "I was in my spiritual zone. Kolo Toure said to me: 'I was looking at the pictures and you did not flinch once.' I did not feel human anymore. The abuse was too much. I was ready to die. I just looked at them and thought 'There are things you do not do.'"[15] In 2018, Adebayor stated that he still hates both Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, recalling the moment in a TV interview where Wenger had described his move as money orientated.[16] City would also complete the transfers of former Arsenal players and previous Wenger signings Sylvinho from Barcelona, and club legend Patrick Vieira from Inter Milan, adding to an increasing number of ex-Gunners players in the City ranks.[17][18]

Wenger would also publicly criticise City's sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways, accusing the club of bending UEFA's fair play rules.[19]

In the summer of 2011, City added two more of Arsenal's more important players, the signing of long-standing left-back Gaël Clichy as well as Samir Nasri, who had made the PFA Team of the Year and had scored 15 goals from midfield in the previous season.[20][21] Prior to the Nasri transfer, Wenger accused City manager Roberto Mancini of being "disrespectful" and "out of order" in a press conference, voicing his disapproval at Mancini answering a question stating he hoped a deal could be done for Nasri.[22] Due to criticism, Nasri protested that his move to City was about winning titles and not money, before going on to criticise Arsenal's transfer policy.[23]

During the run in for the 2011–12 season, City, who were fighting Manchester United for the title, were beaten 1–0 by Arsenal in a game that was marred by the sending off of City striker Mario Balotelli as fractures were seen between the relationship of the player and his manager Roberto Mancini.[24] Despite being eight points adrift following the game, City would go on to win their first title on the final day of the season.[25]

In September 2012, Mancini criticised Wenger for constantly complaining about City spending money, claiming that Arsenal have also spent big money on players.[26] In 2013, a video posted to the internet appeared to show Nasri being abused by Arsenal fans as he entered the Emirates Stadium; in a later interview, Nasri branded the fans as "stupid", and opened up about the abuse he had received since leaving for City.[27]

Bacary Sagna became the most recent Arsenal player to transfer to City under the Wenger era at the beginning of the 2014–15 season, although the transfer had less impact on Arsenal than the others given the players contract was about to expire.[28] Wenger would criticise City once again by claiming the clubs decision to sign Frank Lampard from Chelsea via New York City FC, which was a part of the City Football Group that also owns Manchester City, was a way to get around FFP rules. City manager Manuel Pellegrini said he was surprised by Wenger's outburst given Lampard was a free transfer having been released by Chelsea.[29] The following week Arsenal would defeat City 3–0 in the 2014 FA Community Shield.[30]

Arsène Wenger manager of Arsenal from 1996 until 2018.

By the end of the 2016–17 season, following the appointment Pep Guardiola as City manager the three final ex-Arsenal players Clichy, Nasri and Sagna were released, therefore the on-the field rivalry cooled, despite Guardiola appointing former Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta as his assistant coach.[32]

Despite Arsenal continuing to triumph in domestic cup competitions, adding the FA Cup in both 2017 and 2020, they began to regress and struggle in the League, posting finishes between 5th and 8th between 2015-16 and 2019-20, where as City would go on to gain four titles between 2017-18 and 2021–22, and cementing themselves as the dominant force in English football over the last decade.

The two clubs would meet in the 2018 EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium, the first competitive final between the two teams. City would run out comfortable winners in a 3–0 victory with goals from Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva.[33] Days later City would defeat Arsenal 3-0 again in the League with a victory at the Emirates Stadium that piled pressure on Wenger.[34] Wenger would leave the club at the end of the 2017–18 season.[35]

In 2019, Guardiola's former City assistant manager Mikel Arteta returned to Arsenal as their new manager, replacing Unai Emery who had been sacked, although by the end of the 2021–22 season City had extended their unbeaten run against Arsenal in the League to 13 games, with Guardiola losing his first game to Arteta in a 2–0 FA Cup defeat on 18 July 2020.[36]

In the summer of 2022, City agreed to the sale of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal with both players reuniting with Arteta. With Arsenal finishing 8th in the previous season, Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane claimed he believed the pair had been allowed to join Arsenal as City did no longer view the Gunners as a direct threat.[37] Guardiola explained the transfers by saying all-parties were happy with the outcome.[38]

Arsenal carved out a lead in the Premier League and by the time the two teams met in February 2023 they lead City by three points. In the game at the Emirates, City went on to win the game 3–1 and temporarily leapfrogged Arsenal at the top of the league.[39] City also defeated the Gunners 1–0 in the FA Cup on their way to winning the tournament.[40] In a contrast to Arsenal fans in the past, City fans gave Oleksandr Zinchenko a standing ovation upon his return to the Etihad, he thanked fans by saying "There are no old friends - there are friends with whom there are many good memories and you will always be glad to see each of them. There is no past home - there is a place where you were very happy, and now you are happy to return. Thank you Etihad for the warm welcome!".[41]

Arsenal carved out a ten-point lead in the race for the Premier League but would be thrashed 4–1 by City at the Etihad as Guardiola's team clawed back the advantage.[42] Arsenal would go on to draw 3 and lose 3 of their final 9 games and would eventually finish 2nd to City by seven-points.[43]

In the first game of the 2023–24 season the two teams met in the 2023 FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium. Following victory in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final, City headed into the game as treble winners and led 1–0 following a late strike from Cole Palmer, however Leandro Trossard's heavily deflected shot cannoned off Manuel Akanji to equalise in the 11th of 13 minutes of added on time sent the game to a penalty shootout, in which the Gunners would win 4–1. After the game, following the equaliser coming in a prolonged period of added on time Guardiola bemoaned the new controversial stoppage time rules brought in by the Football Association during the summer.[44][45]

On 8 October 2023, Arsenal ended their 12-game losing streak when Gabriel Martinelli's 86th-minute deflected shot wrong-footed Ederson to give the Gunners a 1–0 win, the club's first in the Premier League since December 2015.[46]

*italics denote caretaker or stand-in manager.

Manager	Played for				Managed
	Team	Span	League apps	League goals	Team	Span	G	W	D	L	Win %
Joe Mercer	Arsenal	1946–1955	247	2	Manchester City	1965–1971	340	149	94	97	43.82
Alan Ball Jr.	Arsenal	1966–1971	177	45	Manchester City	1995–1996	49	13	14	22	26.53
Brian Kidd	Arsenal	1974–1976	77	30	Manchester City	2013	2	1	0	1	50
Mikel Arteta	Arsenal	2011–2016	110	14	Manchester City	2018	1	0	0	1	0