Arsenal sealed their first Premier League title in 22 years after Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth, sparking wild celebrations that lasted into the early hours. Several players, including Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, were spotted arriving at the Emirates Stadium at 5am on Wednesday morning.
Title Celebrations Begin
The squad initially gathered at the training ground, where players, manager Mikel Arteta, and staff watched City's game together. Arsenal's 1-0 win over Burnley on Monday meant Pep Guardiola's side needed all three points on the south coast to take the title race to the final day, but they were unable to do so. Celebrations kicked off at Colney, while thousands of supporters headed to the Emirates, where they were joined by club legend Ian Wright.
Rice shared a sneak peek of the celebrations, uploading a picture with his teammates on Instagram alongside the caption: "I told you all.. it's done," followed by a trophy and love heart emojis.
Dig at Doubters
Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly took a dig at the doubters who claimed Arsenal would 'bottle' the title. Lewis-Skelly, holding a champagne bottle, said: "They called us bottlers and now we're holding the bottle." Saka replied: "Now we're holding the bottles. Yeah!" This came after a viral clip last month showed a City fan holding up a water bottle with Arsenal branding and pretending to take a sip, suggesting the Gunners would 'bottle' the title.
Some members of the squad were caught on video arriving at the Emirates Stadium early on Wednesday morning. One supporter filmed Jurrien Timber, Saka, Rice, and Eberechi Eze walking outside the ground. "Don't play with them, man," the fan said. "That's the champions right now, we're live with the champions right now." Eze also shared a telling picture, holding a finger to his lips outside the Emirates, a clear 'shush' aimed at the doubters.
Guardiola Congratulates Arsenal
Having surrendered the title race, Guardiola offered his congratulations to his former assistant Arteta. "Congratulations to Mikel, congratulations to Arsenal, they have been phenomenal," he said. "We were close. On behalf of everyone at Manchester City, we congratulate Mikel and all the staff, players and fans on winning the Premier League. They deserve it." This means a heartbreaking farewell for Guardiola, who is preparing to leave the Etihad after ten years in charge following Sunday's final home game against Aston Villa.
Arsenal are set to get their hands on the Premier League trophy this Sunday when they make the short trip to Selhurst Park for their final-day showdown with Crystal Palace.
