ALL that was missing from Sunday’s clash at the Etihad Stadium was a fight over the pizza buffet in the tunnel. It was a match so fiery it evoked memories of some of the great Premier League title duels to which the current contest between Arsenal and Manchester City can be added. This is now a proper rivalry.

Of course, Arsenal and City have gone head-to-head for the title in each of the last two seasons. Last season, two points was all that separated them at the top of the table. The season before that, it was five points. These two teams have been shooting for each other for a while. However, Sunday’s encounter took the rivalry to an entirely new level.

Arsenal have demonstrated their ability to get under City’s skin. That was clear in some of the antics witnessed at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday as well as some of the comments made by Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva after the match. There is a growing insecurity within the Manchester City squad about the threat posed from North London.

Defensively, the Gunners have also shown their ability to stop City from playing their natural game. Despite winning the Premier League title, Pep Guardiola’s teams failed to score in two league matches against Arsenal last season. The second half on Sunday proved the Gunners still have that strength at the back even if they allowed a stoppage time equaliser. To hold on for a point with 10 men took a lot out of them.

The next step for Arsenal in this rivalry is for them to find a way to impose their own game on Manchester City. To date, Arteta has set up his team to be reactive against their fiercest title rivals in a way that is somewhat reminiscent of how Jose Mourinho used to play spoiler in big title deciders. To truly overcome City, Arsenal might have to be more proactive.

That might be easier with Rodri now expected to miss the rest of the season through injury. There is nobody else on the Spaniard’s level at the base of the midfield and so Manchester City will be weaker for his absence. Kevin de Bruyne’s continued injury troubles are another concern. These two things could unsettle the defending champions as they aim for a record five Premier League titles in-a-row.

Anticipation is already building for February’s return match between Arsenal and City which has the potential to be an all time classic on the basis of what unfolded between the two rivals on Sunday. The needle witnessed at the Etihad Stadium could be increased by the stakes of being significantly closer to the end of the season – and the title race.

“We’re playing good,” said Guardiola after Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal. “You expect to suffer against Arsenal and they had situations. They defended so deep, [Bukayo] Saka came inside a lot – it’s not easy. They are a really tough opponent, contenders the last two years. We were lucky to beat them [to those titles] and we know it. We talked about it after the game, that this is the level of our contenders. We handle it, accept the challenge and have 99 points [to play for].”

The best rivalries in Premier League history aren’t necessarily the ones that produced the best football, but the ones that were memorable for the tension and drama of the matches. Arsenal and City certainly delivered on that front on Sunday and there is a growing sense that this is a duel that could define the next era of English football.

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