Mikel Arteta hopes to see Arsenal rise to the challenge set for them by Manchester City on Wednesday as they aim to reach the Premier League champions' standard.

Arsenal are three points clear of City at the top of the table heading into their crunch clash at Emirates Stadium.

The match was originally scheduled for October and postponed, meaning this is the first time the top two have faced one another in the league this season, though they did face off in the FA Cup fourth round last month, with City winning 1-0.

City can leapfrog Arsenal with a victory and have a clear advantage in terms of title-winning experience, but manager Arteta sees this as an important hurdle for his players to get over.

"What [City] have done the last six years, they absolutely merit it, they merit it on the pitch, the way they play, the way they have competed, the way they have gone through difficulties," said Arteta, a former City coach who again refused to discuss their alleged breaches of financial regulations.

"For us, the challenge is to get to that level. We need to use that challenge and that energy. This is what we want to be. This is the level and we are heading towards it."

Arteta, who spent much of his pre-match news conference instead discussing Saturday's VAR controversy against Brentford, anticipates motivation being no issue for his side against City.

"There is great energy," he said. "I sensed it since I arrived from after the Brentford game.

"From the staff and everyone at the club, there was a mixture of anger and desire to play the next game. We need to use that."

The Arsenal manager expects a similar attitude from the supporters, adding: "We will play with 15 players. They are so into it for every single ball, giving us energy, support.

"Let's enjoy a beautiful night and a really special day."

Mikel Arteta has not accepted the VAR blunder that cost Arsenal two points against Brentford was simply "human error", even if he appreciated a "really genuine, sincere and open" apology.

Arsenal drew 1-1 with Brentford at Emirates Stadium on Saturday after Ivan Toney's equalising goal was allowed to stand.

The goal was teed up by Christian Norgaard, who had been offside in the build-up.

Lee Mason, the VAR official working on that game, had checked for a separate offence but did not spot the offside in what the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body responsible for referees in English football, described as a "significant" error.

Mason has not been allocated a fixture for the coming weekend as a result.

Although Arteta said it was important not to "crucify" the official, he suggested Mason had not merely made an error and instead did not know how to do his job.

Having described the "huge anger and disappointment" Arsenal felt upon reviewing the footage, Arteta added: "That was not a human error. That was a big, big, big [case of] not understanding your job.

"That's not acceptable, I'm sorry. That cost Arsenal two points, and that's not going to be restored, so we're going to have to find those two points somewhere else in the league."

Arsenal face Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Wednesday, but the pre-match news conference was dominated by discussion of the Toney goal.

Again suggesting Mason had not simply made a mistake, Arteta said: "That was something else. I wasn't having it; the club wasn't having it."

Still, Arteta welcomed the dialogue Arsenal had received around the incident, even if he was not "satisfied".

"I will be only satisfied if they give me the two points back, which is not going to be the case," he said.

"I appreciate and think they were really genuine, sincere and open apologies and explanations, which is really good, but it doesn't change the fact we have two less points than we should have in the table."

Indeed, City can now overtake Arsenal in the table with victory at Emirates Stadium, so Arteta knows how important it is to leave a frustrating episode behind them.

"That's it. We have to move on. It's certainly made our players, our staff and our fans even stronger and with more desire," he said. "We are ready."

Arteta added: "We cannot do anything about it. Don't use it as an excuse. Try to move on and face it."

Roses are red, violets are blue, have we got the perfect Valentine's Day content for you!

(Very) questionable rhymes aside, love is in the air as long-standing couples and newly formed relationships celebrate the day of romance on Tuesday.

The Premier League is certainly no stranger to the language of love, so while cracking open a bottle of red and exchanging cheap tat with your significant other, why not get some inspiration for love with our Valentine's Day facts with some help from Cupid!

Well, maybe not Cupid, but Opta – and the team at Opta are full of love!

MATT LE KISS-IER'S FOND VALENTINE'S DAY MEMORY

Valentine's Day is of course a day for love (and overpaying for those last-minute flowers and cards you almost forgot to buy…).

Three players who've enjoyed a particularly joyous February 14 in the past are Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier, ex-Liverpool striker Michael Owen, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who have each scored three times in the Premier League on this date – no one has managed more.

All three of those were Valentine's Day hat-tricks as well.

Le Tissier registered three against the Reds back in 1994; Owen took home the match ball with a treble for Liverpool versus Sheffield Wednesday four years later; Aubameyang broke Leeds United hearts in 2021 with Arsenal.

COUPLE GOALS

Sharing's caring, as they say.

Mutual support is a key component of any healthy relationship, particularly the relationship between a striker and their fellow forwards…

If there's any Premier League pairing that sums up "couple goals", it has to be Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

The Tottenham duo have directly linked up for 44 goals in the league, more than any other pairing in Premier League history.

No couple have ever combined for more than one goal on Valentine's Day, though Philippe Coutinho and the late Jose Antonio Reyes have shared the love on the most romantic day of the year – they have tallied two assists each on February 14, more than anyone else.

CARDS GALORE

Whether from a partner or a secret admirer, it's always nice to receive a card or two on Valentine's Day.

Unless of course you're playing in the Premier League, in which case you want to see the referees keep their cards in their pockets.

In this regard, Leicester City have been the most prolific, their nine yellow cards on Valentine's Day being more than any other team have received. Arsenal follow with six.

The Foxes also fare badly when it comes to red cards, having earned two on February 14 – Danny Simpson (2016) and Hamza Choudhury (2020) account for those dismissals.

The only other player to receive a red card on Valentine's Day is Everton hero Duncan Ferguson ... no, we weren't shocked either.

LOVE IS BLIND'S TEAM-MATE

Donald Love's name gets a good airing all over social media every February 14 given it's ripe for Valentine's Day punnery.

The defender, who now plays for Morecambe in League One, made his Manchester United debut the day before Valentine's Day in 2016, coming on as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland, who he would also go on to play for.

In that game, he slotted in on the right of a back four that also included another pun-magnet in Daley Blind. So, on Valentine's Day 2016, you could have legitimately said Love is Blind...'s team-mate.

Love never went on to play a Premier League game on Valentine's Day, which for obvious reasons is rather regrettable.

SHORT AND SWEET

Valentine's Days come and go, but in football as in life, not every relationship stands the test of time.

In the Premier League, there have been three players to make their only appearance in the competition on February 14.

Neil Cutler's brief fling with Aston Villa resulted in a one-off appearance in 2000; Shay Logan appeared for Manchester City seven years later; and in 2021 the fittingly named Niall Huggins got his sole outing for Leeds United.

It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all… and our heart goes out to those in that singles club.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola issued a public apology to Steven Gerrard over "unnecessary and stupid comments" he made about the Liverpool legend last week.

Guardiola referenced Gerrard's slip against Chelsea in the 2013-14 Premier League title race when defending City amid allegations of more than 100 breaches of financial rules. 

Gerrard's costly error allowed Demba Ba to race through and score for Chelsea in a 2-0 win at Anfield, with that proving a pivotal moment as City went on to win the title.

"I don't know if we are responsible for Steven Gerrard slipping. Was that our fault?" Guardiola said last Friday. "I have respect for Steven – but that moment belongs to us."

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday ahead of City's huge showdown with Arsenal, Guardiola opened proceedings by revealing he has reached out to Gerrard to apologise.

"I apologise to Steven Gerrard for my unnecessary and stupid comments I said the last time about him," he said. 

"He knows how I admire him and his career, what he has done for this country that I am living and training in. I'm ashamed of myself because he doesn't deserve it. 

"I truly believe in my comments in previous press conferences to defend my club, but I didn't represent my club well putting his name in these stupid comments."

Gerrard spent 17 seasons at Liverpool prior to leaving in 2015 and played out the final two campaigns of his playing career in Major League Soccer with Los Angeles Galaxy.

He has since moved into management and enjoyed a successful spell at Rangers, winning the Scottish Premiership in 2020-21, before a disappointing year with Aston Villa.

Pep Guardiola is unsure if Erling Haaland will be available for Manchester City's huge Premier League showdown with title rivals Arsenal.

Norway international Haaland was substituted at half-time of City's 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday with what Guardiola described after the game as "a big knock".

The 22-year-old is therefore considered a doubt for Wednesday's trip to leaders Arsenal, despite taking part in Monday's recovery training session with the rest of his team-mates.

Providing an update at a press conference on the eve of the match at Emirates Stadium between first and second, Guardiola gave little away on Haaland's fitness.

"We train this afternoon. Right now, I don't know. Yesterday was a recovery day after playing Aston Villa. That's all."

Haaland has found the net 31 times in 29 appearances since joining City from Borussia Dortmund – six goals more than any other player across Europe's top five leagues.

That tally includes 25 goals in 21 Premier League outings, though he has scored in only two of City's six games in the competition this calendar year, albeit netting four times.

City will give Haaland every chance of being available for the huge contest as the reigning champions look to close the three-point gap on Arsenal, who have a game in hand.

Guardiola's side have won three of their past four league games, whereas Arsenal have just two victories in their past five outings.

The two sides face off again in April and Guardiola insists nothing will be decided on Wednesday in terms of where the title ends up.

"So far, they are the best team in the league," Guardiola said. "We felt it a couple of weeks ago when we played them [in the FA Cup]. The commitment, they are sharp. 

"It will be a big, big battle. In all departments, you have to be ready.

"Every game is different. You can play good and win and everything is perfect but tomorrow you could lose. There are many games to play. 

"Tomorrow is an important one, everyone knows it, and we'll try to do our best. It's important because we can take the points, and stop the best team [in the league] from doing so.

"But I have a feeling many things can happen. Tomorrow can help us be there, but there are many games, tough games. We cannot deny it's important to prove ourselves."

Mikel Arteta enjoyed a successful period working alongside Guardiola, but City are the only side he has failed to beat in the league as Arsenal manager, losing all five games.

Regardless of Arsenal's poor record in this fixture, Guardiola believes Arteta's experience of winning the Premier League could be a factor come the end of the campaign.

"I would say if there are three or four games left and the difference is one point, maybe it could be important," he said. 

"There are a lot of points to play for. This is an important match, but there are many more to come."

City have won each of their past 22 Premier League games on a Wednesday, with that the longest winning run on a specific day of the week in the competition's history.

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl remains hopeful Jude Bellingham could sign a new contract with the club, but he admits that may be "wishful thinking" on his part.

Bellingham is widely expected to leave Dortmund in the near future, with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool heavily linked with the 19-year-old.

The England midfielder's Dortmund deal expires in 2025, but reports have suggested a sale in the next transfer window is likely, in order to allow his club to extract a bigger transfer fee.

Kehl, however, has not given up hope of keeping Bellingham at Signal Iduna Park for the long term.

Asked if there was any update on Bellingham's future, Kehl told Ruhr Nachrichten: "There has been no new development. We'll have to be patient for a little longer. 

"But of course we're trying to keep Jude Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund as long as possible, because he's an incredibly important player who has shown once again this season how he identifies with this club and makes the team better.

"I would also like to still have Erling Haaland or Jadon Sancho at Borussia Dortmund. Because you can only imagine if we had managed to keep all three players in one team, what opportunities would then arise.

"Things develop due to market mechanisms. So of course, I have my thoughts and also have my wishful thinking. I can't say whether that will happen in the end. 

"From Borussia Dortmund's point of view, the wishful thinking would be to keep a player of this quality at this club for as long as possible. 

"We will always try everything to keep players of this quality at BVB – because we are ambitious, because we want to win titles. For this, we need not only good but outstanding players."

Bellingham leads his Dortmund team-mates for goals (10), tackles (70) and duels (388) this term, with the midfield all-rounder only seeing his tally of six assists bettered by Raphael Guerreiro (seven).

Dortmund host Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday, looking to end a 10-match winless run against English teams in European competitions dating back to 2016 (D2 L8).

Arsenal may not get a better chance to win the Premier League than this season, former boss Arsene Wenger has warned ahead of Wednesday's game with Manchester City.

Wenger managed Arsenal to three Premier League titles, but the Gunners have not finished top of the pile in England since the last of those triumphs in the 2003-04 campaign.

However, with Mikel Arteta now at the helm, the London side are three points clear of second-placed City with a game in hand heading into their meeting at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have stuttered of late, taking just one point from their past two matches, and legendary former manager Wenger has urged them not to let the opportunity pass them by.

"You win [the title] when you can win it and you don't care too much about the rest. You take the title and let the rest talk about it," he told beIN SPORTS. 

"I agree the conditions next season won't be as favourable as they are now so let's not miss this opportunity. Arsenal have 51 points after 21 games, which is remarkable. 

"I feel the usual threats are all out of the race. The only threat is City and even City are now not as dominant as they were last year or two years before."

Wenger stepped down as Arsenal manager in May 2018 after 22 years in the job, during which time he won 10 major honours.

The Frenchman made his first return to Emirates Stadium for Arsenal's 3-1 win over West Ham on Boxing Day, but he had mixed emotions after spending so long at the club.

"I wanted to take my family there and I think it's the end of the chapter. I was happy to see the players in the dressing room after," he said. 

"It was mixed feelings. I sweated to [build] this stadium for 10 or 12 years, every penny. It was a good feeling to see what it is now with the crowd happy the team is doing well. 

"Part of your life is over forever so it was mixed feelings. I felt at the start it was good to take a distance and not sit there straight away and be a weight for the guy who is there. 

"Today it's all different and I thought it was the right moment. The timing was a fraction late, but it was good around Christmas as well so it was nice.

"I like what I saw and I like what I felt in the dressing room. The team spirit is great, the humility and hunger of the youngsters is absolutely amazing. They're humble and hungry."

Arsenal have lost their past 10 Premier League games against City, their longest losing run against an opponent in their league history.

Joao Felix has had a mixed start to his loan spell at Chelsea, but the Premier League club are eager to make his stay permanent.

The 23-year-old Portugal forward joined Chelsea on loan from Atletico Madrid in January, getting sent off on debut before scoring on his Premier League return against West Ham on Saturday.

Felix signed for Atletico from Benfica in 2019 on a seven-year contract for a transfer fee of €126 million and extended his deal until 2027 prior to the move to Stamford Bridge.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA WANT PERMANENT JOAO FELIX STAY

Chelsea want to make Joao Felix's stay at Stamford Bridge permanent, according to Relevo.

The Portuguese is on loan with the Blues for the rest of the season from Atletico Madrid, with Chelsea willing to pay €100 million (£88.3m) for his services.

The Spaniards were originally asking for more, believed to be around €130m-140m (£115m-£124m) but may be willing to accept a reduced fee.

Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic could be heading in the opposition direction with Atletico considering a cut-price bid for Chelsea's United States international, according to Fichajes.

ROUND-UP

- Real Madrid are monitoring Tottenham forward Richarlison and Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, reports ESPN. Los Blancos are looking for long-term replacements for 35-year-old Karim Benzema.

- Neymar's future at Paris Saint-Germain is uncertain with the French champions to place him on their transfer list in the upcoming off-season, claims Foot Mercato. PSG paid a staggering €222m for Neymar in 2017 but are set to move on.

- Chelsea's pursuit of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice could lead them to sell Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to raise funds for the deal, claims Football Insider.

- Barcelona have reached a verbal agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Evan Ndicka for a free transfer at the end of this season, claims German journalist Christopher Michel.

- Bayern Munich want to sign Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo for a reduced fee, rather than trigger the €70 million buy option, reports 90min. The report claims a fee around €60m is more realistic.

Real Madrid are eager to bolster their forward options, with a quality striker wanted to deputise for Karim Benzema.

Benzema, who is now 35-years-old, has battled injuries this season and played in 12 of their 20 LaLiga games.

Los Blancos have been regularly linked with Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, while there have been reports of a big-money bid for Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani in recent days.

Instead of signing another French forward though, there is a report that Madrid are eyeing up a Brazilian.

TOP STORY – ANCELOTTI WANTS FIRMINO

Real Madrid want to sign Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino on a free transfer at the end of this season, claims Gazzetta dello Sport.

Liverpool are bullish on re-signing Firmino but no extension has yet been agreed, with his contract due to expire in June.

According to the report, Atletico Madrid and Inter are also interested in the 31-year-old, who has been battling a calf injury in recent months.

ROUND-UP

- Barcelona president Joan Laporta is determined to sign Julian Alvarez from Manchester City, reports Fichajes. The report claims "Laporta will do everything in his power" to land the Argentinean World Cup winner.

- Manchester City are monitoring Southampton full-back Tino Livramento, claims the Evening Standard. The English 20-year-old is viewed as a long-term successor to Joao Cancelo, who is currently on loan at Bayern Munich.

- Tuttomercatoweb reports that Bayer Leverkusen will compete with Juventus to sign Alex Grimaldo from Benfica. The Bianconeri want the left-back as a replacement for the departing Alex Sandro.

- Chelsea have joined the contenders to sign Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, writes Football.London. Raya's contract expires in 2024, with interest also from Tottenham and Manchester United too.

- West Ham United are circling for Brazil international striker Pedro, who plays for Flamengo, according to Fichajes.

- Former Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch is being considered for the vacant Southampton job following Nathan Jones' dismissal, claims The Athletic. Football Insider reports Southampton and Leeds both want Marcelo Gallardo, while the Mail adds that Saints are also interested in Torino boss Ivan Juric.

Pep Guardiola is unsure on the severity of Erling Haaland's injury ahead of Manchester City's crucial clash with Arsenal.

City got back to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

With Arsenal having dropped points against Brentford on Saturday, a win at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday would see City move top of the Premier League, albeit the Gunners would still have a game in hand.

Yet Haaland's status for that game is unclear after the striker, who assisted Ilkay Gundogan for City's second goal, went off at half-time against Villa with a knock.

"I don't know, he had a big knock, he was uncomfortable," Guardiola, who was managing his 250th Premier League game, told Sky Sports when asked about Haaland.

"At 3-0 we didn't want to take a big risk. We will see, we will assess in the next days.

"If he's not ready, we;ll play another one. Hopefully he's ready, like everyone. We'll see what it is."

Haaland cut a frustrated figure against Tottenham last week but was more involved against Villa, with his team-mates seemingly quicker to attempt to find their star striker, who now has 29 goal contributions in the Premier League this season, 11 more than any other player in the competition.

"His presence is really good," added Guardiola. "When we have no pressure on the ball, when the opponent has a high line, we will be able to find him even more. We will do it in the future."

Haaland might have got on the scoresheet had Riyad Mahrez, who teed up Rodri's opener, not taken the ball for the penalty for City's third goal.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker seemed perplexed, but nevertheless celebrated with Mahrez after the winger slammed home the spot-kick.

Asked for his view on the incident, Guardiola said: "I don't know, I need to talk to them. Normally Erling is the first taker, Riyad is the second one – Rodri was involved. We will see what they say."

While City could be top of the table by full-time on Wednesday, Guardiola is just glad his side have managed to keep themselves within touching distance, having failed to take advantage when Arsenal lost to Everton last week.

"They have one game in hand. Last season, we had 12, 14 points in front of Liverpool but they had two or three games in hand," Guardiola said.

"We will see when the Premier League is finished. We will go to London to try and win the game.

"When one team has 50 points it is because they are doing really, really well. Finally, when they dropped points we were there to reduce the difference.

"In the past all the time when they dropped points we failed. Finally we could do it. Mainly because the performance was really good."

While all three of City's goals came before the break, Guardiola was happier with his team's second-half display, despite Ollie Watkins scoring a consolation for Villa.

Sunday's match came against the backdrop of City having been accused of breaching over 100 of the Premier League's financial regulations between 2009 and 2018, something the club has denied.

The home crowd jeered the Premier League anthem ahead of kick-off, and Guardiola was delighted with the atmosphere.

"The support was really good before," he added.

"I know they know our team score goals, we had many chances, unfortunately we could not always finish it. In general, a really good game."

Rodri said Manchester City did their talking on the pitch as they bounced back from a troubling week by beating Aston Villa.

City won 3-1 on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium – where the Premier League anthem was booed by home fans prior to kick-off – to move within three points of leaders Arsenal ahead of Wednesday's crunch clash in north London.

Rodri opened the scoring in the fourth minute, with Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez putting City into a deserved 3-0 lead by the break.

Ollie Watkins pulled one back for Villa on his 100th appearance for the club, and although Jhon Duran hit the crossbar late on, City were comfortable enough as they made something of a statement after the Premier League accused them over 100 alleged breaches of financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.

"We just talk about football, we talk on the pitch," Rodri told BBC Sport when asked about the off-field furore surrounding City.

"What happens off the pitch is not our business."

City can move top of the Premier League with a win over Arsenal on Wednesday after the Gunners took just one point from their past two games against Everton and Brentford.

"We have the chance to go top," Rodri added. "Go there and show our personality, the team that we are.

"They are playing at an incredible level and we have an incredible level too. It is going to be an incredible fight and an incredible battle and we have the chance to be on top of the table, so that's what we have to think."

Rodri had a difficult game in the 1-0 defeat at Tottenham last week, but the midfielder was back at his best on Sunday.

The Spain international had three shots, got two on target, and created four chances for team-mates, while topping the game for touches (112) and aerial duels won (five).

"Important game for me. It's always part of the game when you fail, when you miss," Rodri said. 

"I was a bit upset last week but of course. I think the best players are the ones who come back easily.

"Today the team was great, even though I scored the first goal. It was important for me, for the mood of the team.

"Here in the Etihad when we can score in the first 15 minutes, it is a different game for us.

"The crowd was amazing, the environment was great. That's what we need. Sometimes the coach speaks about this. We need the [fans] in every game here."

Villa boss Unai Emery, meanwhile, rued sloppy mistakes from his team in the first half.

"We knew this would be a tough game after three away wins but we were not competitive," he told Sky Sports.

"They were clinical, but we made mistakes today, three very important goals we could avoid normally.

"In the second we tried to be consistent, forget the score and be competitive and I think we did that in the second half.

"We have to be clinical with the chances we get, but in the first half they were better than us and decided the match. I can only say sorry to our supporters, and we did not play in the way we have been."

In normal circumstances, Pep Guardiola's landmark achievement might have been the focus ahead of Manchester City's clash with Aston Villa.

Yet the build-up to Sunday's fixture at the Etihad Stadium was overshadowed by City having been accused of over 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations.

While City will defend themselves off the pitch, their players stepped up by beating Villa 3-1 to ensure Guardiola's 250th Premier League game in charge was marked in style.

Stats Perform has looked at the numbers from Guardiola's time in England's top tier.

The numbers

1 – Guardiola has the highest win rate of any manager to have coached in 100 or more games in the Premier League (73.6 per cent).

29 – Guardiola is the 29th manager to reach the 250-game milestone in the Premier League's history.

184 – After City's victory over Villa, Guardiola has won 184 of his games in the competition. This is a Premier League career total bettered by only five other managers (Jose Mourinho, Harry Redknapp, David Moyes, Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson). His tally of victories is the most of any manager across their first 250 games in the competition (Jurgen Klopp is second, with 160).

34 – City have lost only 34 league games under Guardiola.

4 – Of those defeats, four have come against Klopp's Liverpool, but it is Tottenham who Guardiola has notoriously struggled against. He has lost six times to Spurs in the top flight, including five of their last seven such meetings.

115 – Renowned for their glorious attacking play, City have nevertheless built their success on a stingy defence under Guardiola, whose team have kept 115 clean sheets.

621 – Guardiola's City have netted 621 goals in the Premier League.

204 – In contrast, they have conceded only 204 times.

The records

Guardiola's largest league win as City boss came against Watford in September 2019 (8-0).

His biggest loss as City manager in the Premier League came in his first season in charge, when his side lost 4-0 to Everton at Goodison Park in January 2017.

City stormed to their first league title under Guardiola in the 2017-18 season, becoming the first team in the competition's history to attain 100 points in a season.

They took 50 of those points on the road in the 2017-18 campaign, a Premier League record, as is their tally of 16 away wins that term. Another record haul is their tally of 106 goals in that season.

Their side of 2017-18 won 32 games, another competition high mark, and incredibly City matched that total in the following season.

City went on a run of 18 successive wins between 26 August and 27 December, 2017. That tally has not been bettered, though it was matched by Liverpool in the 2019-20 season (as was the 32 wins in a season record).

In 2021, Guardiola's City netted 113 times, a Premier League record for goals in a calendar year.

City's streak of 14 victories to end a season (2018-19) is a record, as is their run of 12 consecutive away wins between December 2020 and May 2021.

The Players

Raheem Sterling is the player with the most top-flight goals for City across Guardiola's 250 games in charge, with 85. Sergio Aguero ranks second on 82.

Ederson has made the most appearances (204 – all of them starts) while Kevin De Bruyne (203) is the outfield player to have played the most games.

De Bruyne, as expected, leads the way for assists (87). With a goal haul of 53, the Belgian tops the charts for direct goal involvements (140).

Manchester City put a difficult week behind them as they cruised to a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa.

The build-up to Sunday's meeting at the Etihad Stadium was dominated by news of the Premier League accusing City of breaking over 100 financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.

Pep Guardiola, managing his 250th Premier League game, delivered an impassioned defence of his club and his players performed as they returned to winning ways following their loss at Tottenham last week.

Rodri's header, Ilkay Gundogan's tap-in and Riyad Mahrez's penalty had City 3-0 up by the break, and though Ollie Watkins pulled one back for Villa, the champions comfortably closed the gap on Arsenal to three points ahead of Wednesday's crunch meeting between the top two.

Having jeered the Premier League anthem, City's fans had something to cheer inside four minutes, when Rodri headed in from Mahrez's corner.

Only a fine save from Emiliano Martinez prevented Gundogan – City's hero in the title-clinching comeback in last season's corresponding fixture – making it 2-0.

Martinez was fortunate to be awarded a free-kick after a collision with Erling Haaland allowed Gundogan to arrow home.

A glut of City chances went begging but their win was still all but ensured by half-time.

Gundogan got his goal after brilliant work from Haaland, with Mahrez slamming in from the spot after Jacob Ramsey fouled Grealish.

Having replaced Haaland at half-time, Julian Alvarez teed up City's first second-half opening – Martinez denying Rodri a second.

Watkins marked his 100th Villa appearance by scoring in three consecutive Premier League games for the first time, capitalising on Manuel Akanji's error.

It would prove nothing more than a consolation, with City unfortunate not to restore their three-goal cushion through Alvarez and Mahrez – who blasted over from close range late on – as they clinched a 13th straight home league win over Villa.

What does it mean? City's siege mentality a scary sign for title rivals

"I think they are going to be together and try to respond on the pitch," Villa head coach Unai Emery said of City ahead of the game. "It is going to be very difficult. It's a big challenge for us."

That challenge proved too big for the visitors, with City seemingly determined to put on a show and make a statement of intent after the Premier League's allegations came to light.

City had 17 shots, got nine on target and finished with an expected goals (xG) of 3.64 – compared to 0.25 for their opponents – and they will move top of the table should they defeat Arsenal on Wednesday.

They did offer some chances to Villa in the second half, with Watkins punishing them and Jhon Duran rattling the crossbar, but City were well worth the three points.

Pep brings 250 up in style

Guardiola's 250th league game in charge of City featured some typically scintillating attacking play, and ended in a typically convincing success.

He has won 184 of those 250 matches (73.6 per cent), with his City side scoring 621 goals in the competition and toppling countless records.

Haaland concern

Comfortably up at half-time, Guardiola had the luxury of being able to take off City's star striker, who did appear to be nursing a thigh problem in the first half.

City fans will hope it was just a precaution, with their clash with Arsenal just around the corner. Haaland, who was largely frustrated in the defeat at Spurs, was a menace in the first half, with his assist for Gundogan his 29th direct goal contribution in the top flight this season (11 more than any other player in the league).

Haaland was involved in one small flashpoint during his time on the pitch, with Mahrez seemingly taking over penalty duties against the Norway international's wishes, though the incident was swiftly brushed aside.

What's next?

City head to Emirates Stadium on Wednesday in what seems set to be the first truly pivotal clash in this season's tittle race, while the Gunners are also Villa's next opponents on Saturday.

Manchester City fans booed the Premier League anthem ahead of kick-off in Sunday's game against Aston Villa.

City have been accused of over 100 breaches of financial regulations between a period of 2009 and 2018.

Their first match since those accusations came to light saw them host Villa at the Etihad Stadium, where the league's anthem – which is played before every match in the competition – was roundly booed by the home supporters.

Pep Guardiola, who gave an impassioned defence of the club this week, received a huge ovation as he made his way out of the tunnel for what was his 250th Premier League match in charge of City.

City fans have previous for jeering at anthems, with supporters routinely giving the same response to the Champions League's music after they were accused of breaching UEFA's financial fair play rules.

They eventually managed to overturn a ban from European football and instead paid a €10million fine.

Pep Guardiola reaffirmed that Manchester City's glorious moments will always belong to them, asking if it was the club's fault Steven Gerrard slipped in the 2013-14 season.

City have been accused of over 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between the seasons of 2009-10 and 2017-18. 

Speculation has been rife as to the level of punishment the champions might receive should they be found guilty, including points deductions, relegation or the stripping of the titles they won during that time period, including two under Guardiola.

Yet Guardiola has insisted the moments cannot be taken away from City or their fans regardless of the punishment, if indeed there is one, with the manager sarcastically asking the press if it was his club's fault that Liverpool great Gerrard slipped at a vital moment in the 2013-14 title race.

Gerrard fell to the Anfield turf during a clash with Chelsea in April of that season, with Demba Ba going on to score as the Blues triumphed and handed City the chance to go and win their second Premier League title.

"Those moments belong to us. They absolutely belong to us, regardless of the sentence, they belong to us," Guardiola said.

"The goal from Sergio Agüero [in 2012]. I don't know if we are responsible for Steven Gerrard slipping at Anfield. Was that our fault?

"I have respect for Steven Gerrard – but that moment belongs to us.

"The moments that we lived these years together, the Premier League will decide, but I know what we won and the way we won it.

"I know the effort we put in. If something happened in 2009 or 2010 it is not going to change one second."

Guardiola has full faith in the club's hierarchy.

"What I can say is I am proud of my owners, of my chairman, and the relationship we have had, this time together," he said.

"I have relied on them [and what they told me] a lot in the past, now you can't imagine."

Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola also remains fully committed to City's cause.

"If they want me here I will be here," he continued. "The results are not good, they will put me out because it is a business where you have to win.

"But if they want me I will not let them down and my players, too. I want to convince them that what we have done, we have done and they won't remove it.

"We have to defend our position and the way to do it is on the pitch, that’s the only way, and the way we have done it all the time."

City would move within three points of league leaders Arsenal, who drew with Brentford on Saturday, should they beat Aston Villa on Sunday.

The corresponding fixture last season saw City come from behind to beat Villa – then managed by Gerrard – 3-2 on the final day of the season, clinching the fourth Premier League title of Guardiola's tenure in the process, ahead of Liverpool.