Mikel Arteta has revealed the message Pep Guardiola sent him after Arsenal beat Manchester City before the international break.

Arsenal ended a woeful 14-game losing streak against the Premier League champions last time out, winning 1-0 thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s late deflected strike.

The result opened up a two-point gap over City as Arsenal moved up to second in the league behind north London rivals Tottenham.

Arteta, who learned his trade as Guardiola’s assistant at City, said his former boss was full of praise for his team.

“Yeah, I talked with him [Guardiola] after the game,” he told the Men In Blazers podcast. “It’s always like this, it’s very tense, it’s very emotional, a lot is going on in that moment, but after that, the relationship remains intact.

“I lost much more than I won against him but, to be fair, in the last two games when we won the Community Shield and now in the league, the feeling is totally different. [He said] ‘Congratulations, you guys are a terrific team’.”