Mikel Arteta will now need to break a worrying nine-year Arsenal trend at Man City

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Arsenal will head to Manchester City on Sunday knowing that a win will greatly increase their chances of winning the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta’s side are one point ahead of Man City, who have not lost at home all season, and a win will create a nice gap between the two sides in the title race.

However, this is easier said than done, and Pep Guardiola’s side have a lot of quality with which they can hurt Arsenal, and a 4-1 defeat at the Etihad in the title race last season was a humbling one for Arteta’s side.

In a game which could define how the rest of the season goes for Arsenal, and potentially be a day looked back upon for years as a significant one in the history of the club, Arteta will need to end nine years of hurt for his side.

Arsenal need to end nine-year winless streak at Manchester City

Arsenal will be looking for all three points, but the last time they emerged victorious from the Etihad Stadium was in January 2015.

Goals from Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud handed Arsene Wenger’s side a famous win in Manchester, but Arsenal have not seen a repeat result since.

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A 2-2 draw in the following season was the last time Arsenal even earned a point at Man City. In nine years, there has not been a single win away at the Etihad, and under Pep Guardiola, Arsenal have lost every single visit there.

The 2017-18 season saw Arsenal lose 3-1 in Wenger’s final season, and Unai Emery saw a repeat scoreline in his first season in charge.

A 3-0 loss greeted Arteta in his return to City since becoming Arsenal manager, before a hard-fought 1-0 loss in September 2020.

A 5-0 defeat a year later nearly saw Arteta lose his job, before he bounced back and turned Arsenal’s fortunes around, but this then led into a 4-1 loss in the title race last season.

Can Arsenal beat Man City on Sunday?

Arsenal are top of the Premier League with eight wins in a row, and have scored an astonishing 17 goals without reply in the last three away league games.

Having this kind of form, and a nearly fully-fit squad, with Gabriel Martinelli still a doubt, sets Arsenal up better than they ever have been going to the Etihad under Guardiola.

It is possibly the toughest game Arsenal will face for the rest of the season, and a victory would be monumental both in terms of points, as well as momentum and confidence.