Last season’s topsy-turvy nine-goal thriller was the highest scoring yet, while there have been several other memorable games in recent times, meaning this weekend's Super Sunday fixture, live on Sky Sports 1 from 3.30pm, has a lot to live up too...
Manchester City 6-3 Arsenal – December 2013
 |
| Add caption |
Last year’s corresponding fixture saw eventual 2013/14 champions Manchester City deliver a harsh reality check to Arsenal’s then-bourgeoning title challenge. After 15 games, Arsene Wenger's side led the league from Liverpool by five points, with City a further point adrift in fourth, but the pre-Christmas fixture underlined that there was a world of difference between contenders and the real deal.
Having already put six past Tottenham at the Etihad, City’s array of attacking talent repeatedly purged another shaky north London defence – although the fact the Gunners registered three in reply at least gave the scoreline a little more respectability. The nine-goal thriller began when an unmarked Sergio Aguero struck on the volley at the far post following a flick-on at a City corner. Arsenal levelled through Theo Walcott after Yaya Toure had been caught in possession on the halfway line, but Alvaro Negredo restored City’s lead from close range before half-time. Fernandinho then curled in a third soon after the break, the Brazilian's first goal for City.
Walcott got Arsenal back in it with a fine curler of his own, but the visitors' defensive line was breached again by David Silva just three minutes later, before Fernandinho doubled his tally. A sensational game was rounded off deep into injury time by goals apiece for Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker and, from the penalty spot, Toure. "We have a lot more points to fight for; we have to keep improving," stressed new City boss Manuel Pellegrini afterwards. "It is very important to be an entertaining team, but, for me, it will be more entertaining if we score six and concede none.”
Manchester City 4-2 Arsenal – September 2009
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville and Glenn Hoddle all agree Arsenal will struggle to contain David Silva |
After heading powerfully home past Manuel Almunia to make it 3-1 to City, the Togolese striker ran the length of the pitch and slid on his knees in front of Arsenal’s travelling fans, causing no end of chaos. The resultant fallout from Adebayor’s celebrations was only just starting, meaning Shaun Wright-Phillips’ fourth goal for City and substitute Tomas Rosicky’s late consolation for Arsenal were thoroughly overshadowed.
Manchester City 1-3 Arsenal – May 2006
 |
| Add caption |
Premier League head-to-head record at Man City
So often during this period it was Henry who came to Arsenal’s rescue but on this occasion it was another Gunner who had been desperately short on goals, Jose Antonio Reyes, who stepped forward after coming off the bench with 20 minutes to go. The Spaniard had been on the pitch for just seven minutes when he converted Emmanuel Eboue’s cutback to make it 2-1, before a fine curling effort six minutes later settled the match. Three days later and fourth place was Arsenal’s as the Gunners beat Wigan at Highbury while Spurs tumbled at West Ham amid ‘Lasagne gate'.
Manchester City 1-5 Arsenal – February 2003
 |
| Add caption |
Just four minutes were on the clock when Bergkamp, hardly renowned as a penalty box poacher, ghosted in to get on to the end of a slide-rule pass from Lauren to tuck the ball under the advancing Carlo Nash, the ball having curiously evaded City right-back Richard Dunne on its way. Arsenal’s early onslaught proved to be particularly hard on Dunne, with the marauding Henry proving the Irishman’s chief tormentor. Soon dragged to the outer confines of the left wing, Dunne was skinned by the Frenchman at the byline, who then cut the ball back to countryman Robert Pires to sweep home first time. Three minutes later and Henry was leading him a merry dance again, this time latching onto a long, pinpoint crossfield pass from Martin Keown on the edge of the box, instantly controlling the ball with his right foot and then immediately lashing past the stranded Nash with his left.
 |
| Man City boss Manuel Pellegrini on new-signing Wilfried Bony |
Manchester City 0-4 Arsenal – April 2001
 |
| Add caption |
Tony Adams, Lee Dixon and Robert Pires were all rested completely, while Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry were only named on the bench. However an XI which contained the attacking talents of Freddie Ljungberg, Sylvain Wiltord and Kanu still comfortably put relegation-threatened City to the sword. Indeed, all three men got on the scoresheet as Arsenal, not for the first time, blew their opponents away in the opening half of the game.
Two goals on eight minutes, the first from Ljungberg and the second after a sweeping move off the restart by Wiltord, set the tone for the evening and were capped another eight minutes later with a second for the flying Swede after a beautiful chipped pass from Kanu. The Nigerian himself added a fourth nine minutes before half-time thanks to the combination of some sharp Arsenal build-up play and more slapstick City defending. Having returned to the Premier League for the first time in four years at the start of the season, City were relegated in May while Arsenal secured runner-up position to the other Manchester side.