Pep Guardiola vs Mikel Arteta: Complete head-to-head record

  • Arteta worked as Guardiola's assistant manager at Manchester City
  • The Spaniard then took the reins at former club Arsenal in order to succeed Unai Emery
  • Guardiola's record strong against a coach he taught many things

Arteta vs Guardiola is one of the Premier League's mammoth manager battles
Arteta vs Guardiola is one of the Premier League's mammoth manager battles / Getty Images/GettyImages
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The managerial duels between Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola are becoming a bigger part of each Premier League season with every passing year.

Arteta was Guardiola's assistant at City before becoming Arsenal coach, adding a personal element to this rivalry for both coaches.

Arsenal have improved greatly under Arteta's watchful eye, leading his current side into a Premier League title battle with his former employers in 2022/23. However, Guardiola's City remain the team to beat.

Here's every game Arteta and Guardiola have faced each other in.


Pep Guardiola vs Mikel Arteta H2H record

1. Manchester City 3-0 Arsenal - June 2020

Manchester City v Arsenal FC - Premier League
David Luiz was shown a red card in Arteta's first game against Guardiola / Laurence Griffiths/GettyImages

Despite taking over in December 2019, it was many months before Arteta finally faced Guardiola. It was in a Premier League game during Project Restart and it did not go to plan.

Having fallen 1-0 down to a Gabriel Jesus goal, David Luiz was shown a red card early in the second half. A poor Arsenal side had no chance and goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden made it 3-0.


2. Arsenal 2-0 Manchester City - July 2020

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hector Bellerin, Dani Ceballos
Arsenal surprised Guardiola to reach the FA Cup final / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/GettyImages

Only a month passes before the two coaches faced each other again, this time in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. As the Premier League game showed, City were the clear favourites.

Despite that, Arsenal put in a superb display and goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put the Gunners into the final, where they would win their first trophy under Arteta.


3. Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal - October 2021

Raheem Sterling
Sterling was Arsenal's nemesis again / Alex Livesey/GettyImages

In the new campaign, both coaches were still in their jobs and met just five games into the season. The two sides had started the season in a steady manner, but it was City who came out on top again.

Raheem Sterling continued his good form against Arsenal by netting the only goal of this game which left City in third and Arsenal sixth.


4. Arsenal 1-4 Manchester City - December 2020

Phil Foden
Phil Foden was particularly impressive against Arsenal / Catherine Ivill/GettyImages

Continuing to draw each other in cup competitions, Arteta and Guardiola would next face off in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

Jesus opening the scoring for City before Alexandre Lacazette equalised. The second half was simpler for Guardiola as Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte scored to make it 4-1 and send City towards yet another Carabao Cup triumph.


5. Arsenal 0-1 Manchester City - February 2021

Bernd Leno, Raheem Sterling
Sterling scored a rare header against Arsenal / Marc Atkins/GettyImages

In the second Premier League game of the season between the two teams, City already had a 10-point lead at the top of the table. Arsenal were languishing down in 11th place and many of their fans had lost patience with Arteta.

This game didn't help as Sterling grabbed the only goal of the game in the second minute.


6. Manchester City 5-0 Arsenal - August 2021

Martin Atkinson, Granit Xhaka
Granit Xhaka made the job even harder for Arsenal / Catherine Ivill/GettyImages

This was a real low point for Arteta at Arsenal before things clicked. A new season had begun and just three games in, the Gunners were whacked by Guardiola and City.

It meant Arsenal started the season with three defeats, with goals coming from Ilkay Gundogan, Jesus, Ferran Torres (2) and Rodri. Granit Xhaka was shown a straight red card in the first half.


7. Arsenal 1-2 Manchester City - January 2022

Arsenal v Manchester City - Premier League
There was late heartbreak for Arsenal / Catherine Ivill/GettyImages

This game didn't have Arteta on the touchline because he tested positive for Covid-19, meaning assistant Albert Stuivenberg took charge.

The result was the same, though, as Arsenal were beaten by City once again. Arsenal's good play was rewarded when they took the lead through Bukayo Saka, but a Mahrez goal and a second yellow for Gabriel swung things back in City's favour.

The heartbreak came when Rodri bagged the winner in the 93rd minute.


8. Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal - January 2023

Nathan Ake
Nathan Ake helped City progress in the FA Cup / Julian Finney/GettyImages

Here's where things started changing, at least in terms of form. The first meeting between Arteta and Guardiola in 2022/23 came in the FA Cup fourth round when it had become clear that both sides were in a title fight together.

Overall, the game disappointed as a spectacle and a second-half goal from Nathan Ake was enough to ensure Guardiola kept an avenue to another trophy open.


9. Arsenal 1-3 Manchester City - February 2023

Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland left his mark on Arsenal / Julian Finney/GettyImages

In the first Premier League game between these sides with serious implications for the title, it was Guardiola and City once again who came out on top, which must be of serious concern for Arteta.

De Bruyne opened the scoring but Saka equalised. City showed their quality in the second half, though, with Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland making it 3-1 to close the gap at the top.


10. Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City - August 2023

Aaron Ramsdale
Aaron Ramsdale hoists the Community Shield aloft / Nigel French/Allstar/GettyImages

The curtain-raising game of the 2023/24 season saw Arsenal attempt to overhaul the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup holders - and it's a feat they accomplished after a dramatic late Leandro Trossard equaliser.

Cole Palmer looked to have won the game for City, in one of his final outings before joining Chelsea, but Trossard's deflected injury-time strike took the game to penalties. Arteta's Arsenal would emerge 4-2 victors in the shootout, with Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri missing for City and Fabio Vieira scoring the decisive spot kick.


11. Arsenal 1-0 Man City - October 2023

William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden
Arsenal finally defeated Manchester City at the start of the 2023/24 season / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

The win felt so momentous that Arsenal fans queued up after the match to buy a programme. After a debilitating sequence of 12 consecutive Premier League defeats to City, which began while Arteta was on the opposition coaching staff, Arsenal finally secured a top-flight victory against their ultimate bogey side.

Arteta's team edged a desperately cagey contest courtesy of an 86th-minute strike from Gabriel Martinelli that cannoned off Nathan Ake's face, completely wrong-footing Ederson. Martinelli was introduced at the interval against advice from the club's medical staff fearing a recurrence of his hamstring injury. The gamble emphatically paid off.


Mikel Arteta vs Pep Guardiola - Complete H2H record

  • Games played: 11
  • Guardiola wins: 8
  • Draws: 1*
  • Arteta wins: 2

*Arteta's Arsenal eventually won in a penalty shootout.


Goals scored

  • Teams managed by Guardiola: 23
  • Teams managed by Arteta: 7

Top scorers in Mikel Arteta vs Pep Guardiola fixtures

Player

Team

Goals scored

Gabriel Jesus

Manchester City

3

Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City

2

Phil Foden

Manchester City

2

Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng

Arsenal

2

Raheem Sterling

Manchester City

2

Riyad Mahrez

Manchester City

2

Bukayo Saka

Arsenal

2


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