It is Arsenal vs Manchester City in North London this evening in what is undoubtedly the most important match of the season so far, and one that is likely to hold huge ramifications for either side’s title hopes.
Pep Guardiola’s side moved within three points of the league leaders following a straight forward victory over Aston Villa, but Arsenal remain firmly in the ascendancy with a game in hand heading into tonight’s showdown.
A lacklustre defeat against Everton, followed by a disheartening draw against Brentford marred by a glaring VAR mistake has left the Gunners in a precarious position, at precisely the wrong moment.
They will take comfort in the fact that they are yet to lose on home soil this term, dropping just four points at the Emirates, but tonight’s opponents present an entirely different prospect, in a game that may well define their lofty title hopes.
Manchester City on the other hand will take comfort in the fact that they have fallen to defeat in just three games against Arsenal since January 2015, which equates to 15% of the 20 meetings across all competitions.
Arsenal’s last 13 PL games vs Man City:
❌1-2 (2021/22 – H)
❌0-5 (21/22 – A)
❌0-1 (20/21 – H)
❌0-1 (20/21 – A)
❌0-3 (19/20 – A)
❌0-3 (19/20 – H)
❌1-3 (18/19 – A)
❌0-2 (18/19 – H)
❌0-3 (17/18 – H)
❌1-3 (17/18 – A)
🤝2-2 (16/17 – H)
❌1-2 (16/17 – A)
🤝2-2 (15/16 – A) pic.twitter.com/uC60TyLyZJ— Aaron Catterson-Reid (@ReidTheGame) February 15, 2023
The prodigal son of Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, has been a transformative figure in North London, improving his budding young Arsenal squad leaps and bounds comparative to when he took over the reins. Even looking at last season’s 5-0 drubbing at the hands of tonight’s opponents is a far cry from the hard-fought 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup just over a fortnight ago, where a much-changed side went toe-to-toe with a near-full strength City 11.
Spirits have been lifted beyond comprehension as mutterings of a first Premier League title in 20 years reverberate around the Emirates, but there is a feeling among Arsenal fans that tonight’s game may have a huge bearing on the unfolding second half of the season.
The feel-good factor is back, with the once seemingly soulless shell of a stadium now beating and throbbing with fervency and fear. It almost felt as if the crowd stuck the ball in the back of net instead of Eddie Nketiah in the staggering 3-2 comeback win over Manchester United at the end of January, and if the Emirates faithful can muster up that kind of atmosphere this evening, they can hope to register a first league win over City since December 2015.
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