Erling Haaland made a clear jibe towards Arsenal supporters inside the Emirates Stadium after Manchester City’s 5-1 embarrassment.
Title rivals in each of the past two seasons, that appears to not be the case again as Mikel Arteta’s side winning emphatically positions them nine points ahead of their old foe. Such a fact could not have been predicted when the teams last met in September, with Haaland drawing attention to himself by clashing with numerous Gunners players during the 2-2 draw and telling them to ‘stay humble’ at the Etihad Stadium.
In Sunday’s clash he resumed the battle with opposite defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who laughed in his face after Martin Odegaard netted inside two minutes of the first whistle. They would come to blows many more times throughout the 90 minutes, with the Norwegian thinking he would have the last laugh when equalising in the second half.
But Arsenal romped to victory, and in his goal celebration Myles Lewis-Skelly had even mocked the Man City striker by copying his trademark meditation celebration. Haaland seemingly proceeded with calmness to acknowledge his club’s supporters at the final whistle, though the true reality was picked up by the Sky Sports cameras.
As seen, the 24-year-old had gone to clap his own fans, but upon further jests from the red and white crowd nearby, he pointed towards the golden Premier League patch on his right sleeve.
A golden patch is of course the sign of the reigning champions, which Man City became after pipping the Gunners to the title last year by two points.
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