Santi Cazorla's penalty after 24 minutes separates Arsenal and Manchester City at the half-time interval, with the Gunners holding a 1-0 lead at the Etihad Stadium.
It was a rather slow start to the contest which saw the hosts boast more of the ball in the opening stages but fail to truly trouble their opponents in an attacking sense.
The Gunners soon found their feet, though, and they came close to making the breakthrough when Olivier Giroud latched on to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's cross inside the box, but he could not quite direct the game's first shot goalwards.
Just five minutes later Arsenal did manage to edge ahead through Cazorla's well-taken spot kick, which had been awarded by referee Mike Dean following returning skipper Vincent Kompany's bodycheck on Nacho Monreal.
Thirty-six minutes had transpired before City managed to work away their first shot on goal, with Sergio Aguero's flicked header doing little to trouble David Ospina between the sticks.
Chances proved to be few and far between for the remainder of the opening 45 minutes, ensuring that Arsenal went into the break holding a slender advantage over their Premier League rivals.
