Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised his side after their “special” 1-0 victory over Manchester City at the Emirates in the Premier League on Sunday.

Arsenal defeated the treble winners for the first time in the top flight since December 2015 thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s deflected goal in the 86th minute at the Emirates Stadium.

After blowing their chance to win the championship last season with a late collapse that gave it to Guardiola’s team, Arsenal is currently two points ahead of City in second place and is vying for their first championship in 20 years.

Given their miserable run of 12 straight league losses to City prior to this past weekend, it was no surprise that Arteta and his players took part in the post-game celebrations on the field to the delight of their ecstatic supporters.

“It is a special one. It has been a long time since the club beat Manchester City,” Arteta said.

“We felt today could be the day but we needed a big performance from everyone and we had that.

“The players had incredible discipline, they won so many balls. We lacked a bit of threat but overall the atmosphere was just incredible.”

Bringing on Brazilian winger Martinelli as a halftime substitute was a smart move made by Arteta, and after coming off the bench, Thomas Partey and Kai Havertz both contributed to the goal.

“We started the second half really, really well. The subs made a huge difference,” Arteta said.

“Martinelli made a huge effort to be in the game, nobody believed he would (be) there. The medical staff were trembling but he was there and he was excellent.”

The agonising collapse Arsenal experienced last season may have had a negative impact on their spirits going into the current campaign.

But Arteta managed to keep his team on task, and before delivering the late sucker punch, they displayed an admirable desire to hold off City.

“We knew we would have to suffer and we did that. You need a big performance. It feels like a big win,” Arteta said.

“It sends a message to our team, to keep doing what we are doing and stay humble and then we are a very difficult team to beat.”

Arsenal enters the international break on a high after a cathartic victory that pushes them behind leaders Tottenham in goals scored, but Guardiola faces challenges after City suffered their third loss in their previous four games overall.

The champions have now dropped two straight league games for the first time since December 2018, with their collapse in north London coming after a 2-1 loss at Wolves the previous weekend and a League Cup loss against Newcastle.

“We tried. I think from both sides there was not a lot of chances. Both teams did good high pressing. It was tight and in the end, one action, we lost the game. Congratulations to them,” Guardiola said.

Erling Haaland and Kyle Walker of City appeared to get into a fight with Arsenal backroom personnel and security personnel after the final whistle, but both managers refused to say what caused the incident.

As both teams made their way to the tunnel, it appeared that Nicolas Jover, the Arsenal set-piece coach, and Haaland were pushing each other.

“I know what happened and I don’t want to say anything,” Guardiola said, while Arteta had nothing to add on the row.