Arsenal believed Manchester City overcelebrated their win over the Gunners in April, ultimately encouraging Mikel Arteta’s team to rally and win the Premier League.
Arsenal’s match against Manchester City on April 19th was viewed as pivotal for the fate of the Premier League title race at the time, and the expectation was that the winners would go on to lift the trophy.
City’s 2-1 victory still left them three points behind Arsenal, but with a game in hand and very similar goal difference. They knew that if they won their last six games by enough goals, they’d win the league.
Perhaps that’s why the victory was celebrated like Pep Guardiola’s side had won the league already, with post-match banners being unfurled, and City fans chanting “second again” in and around the stadium.
Miguel Delaney reports for the Independent that Arsenal got the sense that City were celebrating their victory too much, and the defeat actually ended up emboldening and encouraging the north London team.
The Gunners began to believe again, going on a four-game win streak in the Premier League, with a Champions League semi-final victory sprinkled in there too.
Meanwhile, City won just three of their next five games, mathematically guaranteeing Arsenal the title before even playing their final game.
The Arsenal players were clearly aware of City’s premature celebrations, particularly the viral images of a City fan drinking from an Arsenal bottle, and further Arsenal bottles then being sold outside the Etihad Stadium.
Piero Hincapie could be seen drinking from an Arsenal bottle as the Gunners confirmed their league title on Tuesday night, and Eberechi Eze shared a picture of Martin Odegaard drinking from one on his Instagram page.
City might have believed that previous seasons meant that all they had to do was catch up with the Gunners, and that Mikel Arteta’s side would just fall away at the end and let them win.
But this is a different Arsenal team. They lost the battle in April, but they went on to win the war in May.
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