The highly anticipated Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal, which finished in a 2-2 tie, has spawned a new controversy when a post-game video sparked turmoil on social media.
Erling Haaland, City’s prolific striker, got into a heated confrontation with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and forward Gabriel Jesus.
Sky Sports footage posted on social media on Monday showed Haaland confronting Arteta and stating, “Stay humble, eh.” Stay humble, eh.
When Jesus intervened, the incident deteriorated into a profanity-laced argument. Haaland was heard screaming, “Talking about what I wasn’t talking about, fing clown,” before shoving Jesus away and shouting, “What you talking about…” “Get the f away, you f***ing clown!”
This altercation occurred after a tough match in which Haaland scored his 100th goal for Manchester City.
Arsenal was reduced to ten men when Leandro Trossard received his second yellow card. City equalised in the 98th minute with John Stones, paving the way for the post-match brawl.
Haaland’s performance during the game also attracted attention. He was spotted throwing the ball at Gabriel’s head after Stones’ goal and brawling with other players after colliding with Thomas Partey in extra time.
John Stones, who scored the equalizer, reacted to Arsenal’s approach. “It was a challenging afternoon for both teams because of how they stopped the play and used a side of football that few other teams utilize.
“You can call it clever or dirty, whatever you want, but they disrupt the game’s rhythm,” he explained. Stones commented on Arsenal’s strategy.
He said, “They slow the game down, they get the keeper on the floor so they can get some information onto the pitch. We had to control our emotions during those tough times and I felt like we did.”
This tight match has fueled the rivalry between the two title contenders, with both teams demonstrating a combination of skill and controversy on and off the field. Meanwhile, sports journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on Monday that Haaland would not face any disciplinary action for tossing the ball at Gabriel’s head following Stones’ goal.
He said, “Erling Haaland not expected to face any retrospective punishment for throwing the ball at the back of Gabriel Magalhaes’ head. VAR reviewed the incident at the time, and deemed no action was necessary, @Jack_Gaughan reports.”
Written by Jennifer Amarachi
