Arsenal stars Myles Lewis-Skelly and Declan Rice have opened up once again on the iconic Erling Haaland celebration that caused quite a stir earlier in the season.
Over the past few years, the Gunners have developed quite a rivalry with Manchester City, largely driven by both teams competing for the Premier League title.
More recent encounters have seen Arsenal and City players’ frustrations boil over, kickstarting with the tie at the Etihad Stadium early in the 2024/25 campaign.
A last-gasp equaliser for the home side topped off a dramatic and controversial meeting between the two sides.
Erling Haaland told Mikel Arteta to “stay humble”, which only deepened the competitive nature that both teams had.
In the reverse fixture, Arsenal thrashed their opponents, with Myles Lewis-Skelly creating his own iconic moment that’ll be remembered for years.
Declan Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly give fresh verdict on Erling Haaland celebration
Arsenal’s encounter with Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium may well be remembered for plenty of things, but one moment still stands out.
That being Myles Lewis-Skelly copying Erling Haaland’s yoga pose celebration after scoring his first goal for the senior side.
It was a moment that ruffled a few feathers, whether it was from rival fans who were frustrated by it or Arsenal fans who simply loved it.
Even months after the incident, it is still looked at and discussed in such a way that it’ll likely go down as an iconic moment.
Lewis-Skelly gave a fresh verdict on that moment when speaking with Sky Sports, claiming: “I was just kind of in the flow, I wasn’t really thinking, and then just, everything takes care of itself really.”
His Arsenal teammate Declan Rice then jumped in to discuss the moment, revealing exactly how Erling Haaland took the situation.
He added: “Look, I think people went a bit over the top with it in terms of what they were saying about it. I know Erling just took it on the chin.
“It’s football at the end of the day. It’s a goal, it’s a celebration. If you don’t celebrate when you score, what’s the point in playing football?
“I’ve not celebrated because I’ve played for previous clubs, but for him to score his first goal and obviously do that. I know he has a lot of respect for Haaland, it’s just, it wasn’t out of a mean gesture, it was just in the moment.”
Erling Haaland’s record since the “stay humble” claim
Another layer to the whole situation involves what Erling Haaland himself said and how it then impacted Arsenal players.
In the draw in September 2024, his “stay humble” claim came in the same game where he asked who Lewis-Skelly was – he certainly knows now.
The period just after that game saw a steep downturn for the striker as well as Manchester City, who have had their struggles.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | 11 | 3 |
Haaland has seen a slight uptick in scoring form in recent weeks, even if City have continued to stagnate.
It’s not at the levels the striker has hit previously, though, as it remains to be seen whether he can return to those heights.
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