Arteta joins elite 250 club - but where does he rank?

When thinking of the greatest managers of the Premier League era, Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola are names that belong high on the list.

They are three of the rare breed to have managed 250 games with a single Premier League club, and Mikel Arteta is now the 10th member of that elite group.

Monday's 1-0 win over Aston Villa was the 250th top-flight game in charge for Arteta with the Gunners, and his champions delivered a trademark performance.

At full-time at Villa Park, the travelling supporters sang about how they are going to win the league again with Arteta in charge.

With Arsenal coming into this season as trophy holders, and with transition affecting rivals Liverpool , Manchester City , Chelsea and Manchester United , it is hard to see how the fans' partisan prediction is going to be proved wrong.

Arsenal conceded the fewest goals in the league last season as they won the title for the first time in 22 years.

And during Arteta's nearly seven years in charge, the Gunners have become renowned for their defensive excellence.

Against Aston Villa they showed it again, without allowing a shot on target against them as Bukayo Saka's second-half goal secured victory.