The last time we won away at a Big 6 rival – And every attempt since…

Arteta has impressed many Gooners with his man management skills since getting the Arsenal job last December. He has improved individuals and got the group buying into his ethos. What he did in the FA Cup semi Final and Final wouldn’t have happened if the players did not believe in him.

For his tactics to have worked like they did at Wembley required everyone to be on the same wave length.

The Spaniard, still in his rookie year, is clearly always thinking about the bigger picture.

Whether it was winning a trophy so soon or winning games when not playing well, the young coach realises it’s extra fuel he can use to build up confidence in his squad.

The next mental hurdle to conquer has to be eventually winning in the League at the home of one of our traditional ‘top 6 rivals’.

That last time that happened was in 2015 when we beat this weekend’s opponents Man City 2-0. Ironically that day at the Etihad, Arsene Wenger came up with a plan that mirrored how we now line up in the ‘big games’. We were happy for City to have the ball and hit them on the break.

Many assumed and hoped that this would be how we would now approach these fixtures, but often we lacked the mentality to do what you have to do to get three points at these type of grounds. The more we tried the more the problem seemed to become psychological….

Attempt 1
7-2-15 Spurs 2-1

We take the lead thanks to Ozil, then decide to sit back and try and protect our lead which we simply didn’t have the defence to do. Kane scored twice and cried, which was a bit over the top, but I guess they don’t have much to celebrate at the Lane do they?

Attempt 2
17-5-15 Man United 1-1

Many gooners were frustrated as they felt United were there for the taking, but Arsene Wenger only cared about the point which put him in touching distance of qualifying for the Champions League.
I remember some on social media claiming that proved the lack of ambition at the club. 5 years later, we would bite your hand off to finish top 4.

Attempt 3
19-9-15 Chelsea 2-0

We had read this book so many times, how did we yet again get suckered in? Costa bullied our defence, Gabriel reacted, and we had to play an entire half with 10 men (later 9 when Cazorla got sent off as well).
Where were our dressing room leaders making players learn from their mistakes?

Attempt 4
13-1-16 Liverpool 3-3
Perhaps the closest we have come from winning at one of the big 6 and the closest we have come to winning the title in recent memory.
We were top of the table when we twice came from behind at Anfield to lead only to concede a stoppage time Joe Allen volley. If we had held on it could have given us the confidence, we needed to get over the line.

Attempt 5
28-2-16 Man United 3-2
Arsenal were favourites to win the title as we were in a three-horse race with Leicester and Spurs. We had, in our last match, beaten the Foxes thanks to a 90th minute Danny Welbeck header, which led many to believe the momentum was with us.
An injury crisis seemed to suggest this was an ideal time to go to Old Trafford yet it in many ways summed up the mentality of this group of players when it really mattered. It wasn’t just the result. The performance was so bad it ruined any confidence we had left. It seemed inconceivable that we could play like that considering what was at stake.

Attempt 6
5-3-16 Spurs 2-2
In the space of a week we had lost at Old Trafford and at home to Swansea to blow the best chance we had of lifting the title since we last won it. Spurs smelt blood but at least we had enough pride to find an equaliser with 10 men, meaning they too saw it as an opportunity lost.

Attempt 7
8-5-16 Man City 2-2
Some gooners were not happy that Arsene Wenger was celebrating at the final whistle qualifying for the Champions League. It was a game where in truth both teams went through the motions having failed to keep up the pressure on Leicester.

Attempt 8
19-11-16 Man United 1-1
I think because we scored with our only effort on target in the 90th minute it felt like a victory, given how many times United have done the same to us. Plus Jose was in the dugout.

Attempt 9
18-12-16 Man City 2-1
For the second time in a week Arsenal would blow a half time lead to lose, having not shown up in the second half. It was incredible how bad we were in the second 45 having been so good in the first.

Attempt 10
4-2-17 Chelsea 3-1
We had to win to have any chance of catching the Blues in the title race, but it never looked likely. So many things were painful. Hazard dancing round our defence, Cech just passing the ball to Fabregas to score …horrible.

Attempt 11
4-3-17 Liverpool 3-1
The talk was that Sanchez had had a row in training with his teammates so was benched at Anfield. When he came on at half time, he showed what we had been missing as we stopped showing Liverpool too much respect. The damage had been done though in the first half.

Attempt 12
30-4-17 Spurs 2-0
The last ever Derby at the Old Lane and to be honest it could have been 5-0. Still though at least we lifted more Premierships on that ground then they did.

Attempt 13
27-8-17 Liverpool 4-0
What hurt most about this was it wasn’t a shock given the nature of our performances at Anfield in the last few years. Not helped by Arsenal not being organised off the pitch in time for the start of a new season.
The Ox was starting even though he had already agreed terms with the Opposition, and Sanchez in his own mind had already said goodbye to his teammates because he was joining City the next day (he wasn’t).

Attempt 14
17-9-17 Chelsea 0-0
At this point everyone is talking about our record away at the ‘big 6’ so keeping a clean sheet is seen as progress.

Attempt 15
5-11-17 Man City 3-1
For the first in three times that season City score 3 past us.

Attempt 16
10-2-18 Spurs 1-0
Was kind of sad seeing us reach such a low level where it seemed like we were content with a 0-0 draw before Kane scores.

Attempt 17
29-4-18 Man United 2-1
In our defence we were now playing fringe players in the League, having put all our eggs in the Europa League basket.

Attempt 18
18-8-18 Chelsea 3-2
This is when we had convinced ourselves that it was okay if Unai Emery lost his first two games because they were hard fixtures and we had played well. WE ARE ARSENAL!!!!!!!!!!!

Attempt 19
5-12-18 Man United 2-2
This was a missed chance as this wasn’t a great United team. We missed Xhaka who was suspended and believe it or not we seemed to be in control before Holding went off injured.

Attempt 20
29-12-18 Liverpool 5-1
Where it became clear things change yet stay the same. It was meant to be all Wenger’s fault that we were suffering these drubbings, yet Unai Emery fared no better in organising us. Some of the individual errors to be fair were incredible.

Attempt 21
3-2-19 Man City 3-1
3 again at the Etihad.

Attempt 22
2-3-19 Spurs 1-1
Auba misses a stoppage time pen at Wembley (it’s okay he would find his scoring touch at that ground eventually).

Attempt 23
24-8-19 Liverpool 3-1
Was depressing to hear fans try to find positives that at least we hadn’t been humiliated this time. And that was only because Liverpool went through the motions at 3-0 up.

Attempt 24
30-9-19 Man United 1-1
Both set of supporters seemed disappointed ,as they felt the opposition were there for the taking but overall there was a disappointment of the lack of quality in what used to be ‘THE fixture’.

Attempt 25
21-1-20 Chelsea 2-2
This felt like a victory as we found an equaliser with 10 men, spirit we didn’t have under Unai Emery.

Attempt 26
17-6-20 Man City 3-0
Even by his own standards this was crazy by David Luiz. He came off the bench and in the space of 25 minutes gifts City a goal, concedes a pen and gets sent off.

Attempt 27
12-7-20 Spurs 2-1
What hurt is that we controlled this Derby but Kolasinac confirmed he can’t play in a back 3.

Attempt 28
28-9-20 Liverpool 3-1
Talk of a title bid proved premature as we got our traditional drubbing at Anfield. A reminder of the gap between the two clubs at the moment.

Attempt 29

17-10-20 Man City ?-?