Arsenal vs Man City Timeline & H2H Stats

Arsenal and Manchester City first played each other way back in 1893, although back then it was billed as Woolwich Arsenal versus Ardwick. The Gunners got the upper hand that day, winning 1-0, but of course in the 21st century it has very much been the Manchester outfit that has come out on top.

That said, even after the rampant collecting of silverware Man City have undertaken since their Abu Dhabi takeover, Arsenal have comfortably won more league titles and FA Cups than the Cityzens. In addition, when it comes to the overall head-to-head, once again the Gunners hold the bragging rights. The two teams have met well over 200 times and Arsenal have won around 47% of those meetings, with City well back on approximately 31%.

What rivalry exists between these clubs is clearly not based on geography, with around 200 miles separating them. It is also not, despite that first meeting around 130 years ago, a hugely historical animosity. Instead, most pundits agree that Man City and Arsenal really started not getting along, to paraphrase Muhammad Ali, only in the 21st century.

In fact, it was a little later than even that, and can really be dated to the era post-Abu Dhabi takeover at City. In 2008 the club suddenly found themselves hugely wealthy… in a bygone day where clubs were actually allowed to spend the money they had! Arsenal had been slipping for some time, unable to sustain the brilliance that brought their Invincibles campaign in 2003/04. This meant that the clubs were becoming direct rivals, albeit with City on the way up and Arsenal on the way down.

Arsène Wenger hardly built Arsenal on a shoestring budget but compared to Man United, Chelsea and certainly Man City, he was forced to rely on coaching and player development rather than lavish spending. He was especially vocal in criticising City’s heavy spending and this became “personal” when City sought to buy two players from the Gunners.

Emmanuel Adebayor was purchased in July 2009 for £25m, with Kolo Toure joining him in the same month for £14m. These signings really ignited the fire of this rivalry. Adebayor then put petrol onto the flames with his infamous goal celebration, running the full length of the pitch to goad fans of his former club when he scored for City in their 4-2 win over Arsenal at the Etihad.

As Arsenal’s performances continued to slide the rivalry cooled, but with Mikel Arteta rejuvenating the Gunners, Man City and Arsenal are once more competing against each other in the truest sense of the word. That Arteta learnt so much at City, under Pep Guardiola, only adds to that, and we look forward to enjoying this rivalry in the years ahead.

Arsenal’s Full Match History Against Man City