With Arsenal and Manchester City now regular title rivals, they are serving up some classic clashes almost whenever they meet one another.

This fixture dates back to 1893 when both sides went by different names, and as such, there is a rich history of unforgettable moments between the sides.

With that in mind, Football FanCast has created a list of the top ten most memorable moments between Arsenal and Manchester City.

10 2012: Mikel Arteta dents City's title hopes

Right, so we’re going back to the 2011/12 season for the first moment on our list, and it’s one that came towards the backend of the campaign which featured none other than a certain Mikel Arteta.

At the time, City were locked in an incredibly intense and entertaining title race with cross-city rivals Manchester United, whilst the Gunners were looking to cement a place in the top four ahead of their own fierce rivals, Tottenham Hotspur – in short, neither team could afford to drop points.

Unsurprisingly, the game reflected this high level of pressure and was an incredibly cagey affair from both sides. In fact, the match looked like it was heading for a 0-0 draw when it was still goalless going into the final five minutes. Well, that was until Arteta decided to do something about it.

The former Everton star stole the ball from the feet of David Pizarro on the halfway line, ran towards goal and then, from about 30 yards out, leathered the ball into the bottom corner, sending the Emirates potty.

The game ended 1-0 in favour of the hosts, and given that they finished the season in third place – just a point ahead of Spurs – it would be fair to class the goal as season-defining.

There was even a happy ending for City as well, as they would ultimately clinch the title on that most dramatic of final days at the Etihad just a month later.

9 2020: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang brace takes Arsenal to FA Cup final

Going from one of Arteta’s earliest contributions to Arsenal as a player to one of his earliest contributions as a manager now, with that unbelievable FA Cup run in the 2019/20 season – specifically, the semi-final against Pep Guardiola’s City side.

To call Arsenal’s Premier League campaign that year a disaster would probably be too kind, as after three managers and some genuinely embarrassing defeats, they ended up finishing in eighth. In contrast, City finished the season in second place, 25 points ahead of the Gunners.

With that in mind, it only seemed logical to view Arsenal as massive underdogs in this fixture, which was arguably reflected in Arteta’s incredibly defensive lineup. However, there is just something special about the Gunners when it comes to the FA Cup.

It took just 19 minutes for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to put his side 1-0 up, and thanks to some brilliant defending, the Gunners would maintain their lead heading into half-time. The second half played out much like the first, with Arsenal defending deep and counter-attacking where they could.

They would eventually get their second, once again through Aubameyang, and ultimately book their place in the final, where they beat Frank Lampard’s Chelsea 2-1.

8 2000: Arsenal record their biggest win against Man City

It would be fair to describe the recent history of this fixture as pretty one-sided, with Man City winning eight of the last ten games between the two sides in all competitions and registering some pretty big wins in that time as well.

However, it wasn’t always like this. In fact, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the roles were totally flipped, with the Gunners regularly beating their northern opponents, and often rather comprehensively.

That said, their game against City in October 2000 was something else entirely.

It was Ashley Cole who, on his home debut, opened the scoring just before half-time, driving a low shot into the near corner on 44 minutes. Things only got worse for the visitors in the second half as Dennis Bergkamp doubled the hosts’ lead before Sylvain Wiltord added a third.

After that, it was the turn of Thierry Henry to get involved as he scored in the 82nd and 88th minute to complete the rout.

It was as comprehensive a win as you could imagine, but as we all now know, the men in sky blue would eventually get their revenge.

7 2015: Santi Cazorla dominates City

City’s domination of this fixture has been undeniable over the last decade or so, but that is not to say that the Gunners haven’t at least had a few bright moments in an otherwise bleak period in the club’s history.

One of those moments was in their game at the Etihad in January 2015, a game that many remember purely for the mercurial brilliance of Santi Cazorla.

Despite being the clear underdogs in this encounter, the Gunners opened the scoring thanks to a clinical spot-kick from the Spaniard. The north Londoners doubled their lead in the 67th minute when Olivier Giroud got on the end of a fantastic free kick from the midfielder and headed it past Joe Hart.

While his goal contributions were ultimately what helped Arsenal emerge victorious, it was Cazorla’s all-round play that was so impressive. He bossed the midfield and was involved in everything from defence to attack.

It was a true 10/10 performance, and no Arsenal player has played that well against City since. Will that change on Sunday?

6 2023: Man City end Arsenal's title challenge

A more recent game now, and one that ultimately put an end to Arsenal’s title challenge last season.

The game was massively hyped up in the days and weeks beforehand. It was billed as the ultimate title decider as the Gunners had lost their buffer between themselves and the Citizens, meaning they could no longer go to the Etihad and settle for a draw; they had to win.

People were expecting an entertaining battle between the two best sides in the country, but that is not even remotely close to what happened.

Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring for the home side in the seventh minute, with John Stones making it two on the stroke of half-time. The second half wasn’t much better either, as De Bruyne got his second just nine minutes after the restart before Erling Haaland rounded off the rout in the 90th minute.

The Gunners did get a consolation goal in the 86th minute through Rob Holding, but they were thoroughly beaten, and their title charge fizzled out from there.

5 2005: Thierry Henry and Robert Pires penalty problems

When it comes to football, there are few things more straightforward than a penalty. If you’re taking it, hit it hard and true, and if you’re a ‘keeper, make yourself as big as possible and do what you can to get in the way.

Really, there isn’t much else to it – unless, of course, you’re Robert Pires and Thierry Henry in 2005.

Arsenal were hosting Manchester City at Highbury early on in the season, and, after a goalless first half, found themselves 1-0 to the good thanks to a 61st-minute penalty scored by Pires.

It looked like the Frenchman would double the Gunners’ lead just moments later when they were awarded a second penalty for a foul on Dennis Bergkamp, but nobody was prepared for what would happen next.

Instead of smashing the ball past David James in the City goal, Pires opted to pass the ball to his left for Henry to run onto and score past a confused James. However, the usually composed winger scuffed his pass, meaning Henry ran past the ball, leaving the pair looking rather foolish.

Luckily, the game finished 1-0, but as you can see below, it was a comical series of errors from Arsenal’s two brilliant attackers.

4 2022: City snatch points in controversial clash

Given the relatively one-sided nature of this fixture in recent years, it would also be fair to say that most of the recent games between Arsenal and City have been rather dull, with the Citizens more often than not running out comfortable winners.

However, that was certainly not the case in January 2022.

Albert Stuivenberg took charge of the Gunners for this game after Mikel Arteta was forced to isolate in the days leading up to the clash, but he did such a good job preparing the team that the Spaniard’s absence didn’t appear to be a problem.

His side started the game far better than City, creating countless chances against the reigning champions before Bukayo Saka finally found the back of the net after a brilliant bit of passing and interplay. Gabriel Martinelli had another gilt-edged chance later in the game and perhaps should have handed the Gunners the advantage.

However, things started to go wrong for the home side in the second half as City were awarded a questionable penalty in the 59th minute, which Riyad Mahrez duly slotted home. Things got even worse for the men in red just two minutes later when Gabriel was sent off for a second yellow after he bodychecked Gabriel Jesus, of all people, to stop a City counterattack.

From there, Arsenal opted to defend what they had rather than push on for the win, and it looked like they would at least claim a point until the very last second when Rodri found himself free in the box and calmly finished into the far corner.

It was a game that had it all, and in all honesty, one that Arsenal should have won had they taken their chances in the first half.

3 2013: Gunners capitulate in nine-goal thriller

The clash between City and Arsenal at the Etihad in December 2013 was unforgettable for several reasons. First, nine goals were scored between the two sides, making it the second-highest-scoring game between the teams since a clash in 1956 that ended 7-3 in favour of Arsenal.

Second, the 6-3 scoreline caused some of the Arsenal players to lose their cool somewhat, none more than fan favourite Jack Wilshere. In the 68th minute, moments after his side conceded a fourth to go 4-2 down, the 21-year-old turned to the City fans and flipped them off – a gesture that was perhaps more embarrassing for the player than anything else.

The Gunners would eventually lose 6-3, and as they usually would after any away game, the whole team went to their own fans to applaud them for making the effort to come and watch them – well, apart from Mesut Ozil.

The German playmaker seemingly forgot this important end-of-game tradition and got an earful from compatriot Per Mertesacker for this failure to applaud the supporters.

It really wasn’t a good day at the office for the north Londoners.

2 2021: Man City thrashing consigns Arsenal to 20th place

At number two on our list of memorable moments between these two sides is their encounter in August 2021, when the Citizens eviscerated Arteta’s stumbling side.

The Gunners went into the game incredibly low on confidence as they had lost their two opening games of the season to Brentford and Chelsea. Still, there was a hope that with a strong defensive performance, they might just be able to leave the Etihad with at least a point to their name. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

City found themselves two goals to the good just 12 minutes in, and when Granit Xhaka was shown a red card in the 35th minute, they proceeded to tear the Gunners apart. City were three goals up by half-time and added another two in the second half to come away 5-0 winners.

If the loss wasn’t bad enough, Arsenal also found themselves rooted to the bottom of the table on zero points with a goal difference of -9.

1 2009: Emmanuel Adebayor's infamous celebration

Here we are, our number one pick for the most memorable moment in this long and storied fixture, and what else could it have been?

The name Emmanuel Adebayor has conjured up many different feelings for Arsenal fans over the years. He was once a fantastic player who scored 62 goals for the Gunners in 142 appearances; he is now remembered as a turncoat mercenary who opted to join Man City before signing for the club’s biggest rivals, Tottenham.

And if there was one game that likely changed the perception Arsenal fans had of their former striker more than any other, it was this one.

The game itself was highly entertaining, with the hosts scoring four goals and the visitors two, but it was City’s third goal, scored by Adebayor, that is remembered more than any other.

The Togo international scored a powerful header from Shaun Wright-Phillips’ cross, but instead of celebrating with his own fans, he opted to run the length of the pitch to knee-slide right in front of the away end that housed his former supporters.

It’s fair to say that following that celebration, Adebayor quickly turned himself into public enemy number one amongst Gooners everywhere. That said, it is one of the most iconic celebrations in Premier League history, let alone this fixture.

And there we have it, our list of the ten most memorable moments in the history of this great fixture. Will theimeeting add any more? We certainly hope so.