Both Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta have responded to the Arsenal players mocking Manchester City star Erling Haaland following some goal celebrations in the key clash.
It came at the Emirates Stadium as the Gunners dismantled the Premier League champions with a stunning second-half display.
Arsenal took the lead through Martin Odegaard, but it was Erling Haaland who levelled the game for Man City.
That equaliser drove the home side on though, with Thomas Partey restoring the lead before Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri all got in on the act.
While it was a huge win for Arsenal, plenty of the narrative surrounded the battle with Haaland.
Pep Guardiola responds to Arsenal players mocking Erling Haaland
The reverse fixture saw Erling Haaland tell Arsenal to “stay humble”, with it being a moment that has stuck with supporters and the team ever since.
The striker was the target of some mockery throughout the game as Gabriel laughed at Haaland following the opening goal.
That was taken to the next level when Myles Lewis-Skelly copied Haaland’s celebration to mock the star after his goal.
It was something that Pep Guardiola was asked about, with the Man City manager giving his thoughts on the situation.
Speaking to the press, he said: “Ah… that’s good. [Very long pause] That’s good.”
It was something that the head coach could use as fuel for the fire in the next meeting between the two teams.
Mikel Arteta responds to Arsenal players mocking Erling Haaland
The same question was put to Mikel Arteta, with the Arsenal boss giving a very clear answer to the media after the match.
He told the press: “I don’t know I haven’t seen that and there’s nothing I want to disclose about that.”
While it was a coy response from the manager, he continued on the incident, stating: “We have to focus on us and leave anything that happened. It’s part of the game on the pitch. Really there is nothing.”
It’s a moment that, clearly, has been discussed between the players but hasn’t been mentioned by the coaches at the very least.
The Arsenal side have clearly done similar in the past though, with Ivan Toney’s tweet in the past firing up the squad.
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