Mikel Arteta realised that Manchester City had dropped points at the Etihad after Arsenal’s win over Brighton because of the reaction of the away end at full-time.
Matchday 29 was one to remember for the Gunners, who capitalised on City dropping points to go seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
With eight games to go, Arteta’s side are in a superb position, and the Arsenal fans at the Amex made their belief known at full-time.
The Arsenal manager himself noticed something different about the away support, as he revealed when he was asked about the moment he realised City had drawn to Nottingham Forest.
What would your message to the Arsenal team be after the Brighton win?
Mikel Arteta said Arsenal fans made him realise that Man City had dropped points
The full-time scenes at the Amex were unlike anything Arsenal have seen all season, as the away end erupted to both congratulate the players and inform them that Man City had dropped points.
Supporters got their message across, as when speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta noted that something was ‘strange’ about the atmosphere from the away end.
“When I was walking to our supporters, because I saw a reaction and I said, ‘what happened?’ because it was something a little bit strange, so yeah, I didn’t know.”
A first roar celebrated the win, and a second, even more jubilant one, was a reaction to the full-time whistle at the Etihad.
It wasn’t only Arteta who noticed, as Bukayo Saka caught on to the fans’ celebrations during the game, assuming that news was coming in from Manchester.
Full-time scenes at the Amex were exactly what Arsenal needed
Leading into the game, it felt as though everyone wanted Arsenal to fail.
Have you ever seen a reaction like this from Arsenal fans during Mikel Arteta’s reign?
This felt very significant 🔜🏆❓
Building media pressure and the memories of being hunted by Man City are not easy to juggle, which is why the full-time scenes at the Amex were everything the club needed and more.
This squad are showing that they have what it takes to get over the line; scrutinise and talk all you want, Arsenal want to win the Premier League more than anything.
The negative discourse building up to the game was muted by the full-time scenes; every headline, every pundit’s take, every manager’s uproar, it all meant nothing.
What a moment it was for Arsenal, a long-overdue period of celebration and appreciation for the team who have been the best in the Premier League by a long mile throughout the entirety of the season.
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