February 4th 2025.
During a heated match between Arsenal and Manchester City, young player Myles Lewis-Skelly found himself in the spotlight after copying Erling Haaland's iconic celebration. The Gunners' 5-1 victory over the champions was a cause for celebration, but former player Joe Cole warned that their "over-celebrating" may have consequences in the future.
The match was a thrilling and intense one, with players from both teams at each other's throats from the very beginning. Following Haaland's previous remark aimed at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, tensions were high and the players were not holding back. Haaland and Gabriel Magalhaes, in particular, had a bitter rivalry and clashed throughout the match. In the midst of all the chaos, Lewis-Skelly managed to score a goal and couldn't resist imitating Haaland's celebration.
This was not the first time Haaland had targeted Lewis-Skelly. In their previous meeting, the City striker was heard shouting "Who the f*** are you?" at the young player during a heated scuffle. It was clear that there was no love lost between the two.
On The Dressing Room Podcast, Cole shared his thoughts on Arsenal's playing style and their tendency to celebrate and provoke their opponents. "The Arsenal players come in for a lot of stick. Obviously, they like to celebrate when they win a game, they like the needle," he said. "That very much comes from Mikel Arteta on the touchline, that's their personality, his staff, and that sort of filters this way into the players."
Cole praised Lewis-Skelly for his "feistiness" and attitude on the pitch, but also pointed out the potential consequences of his actions. "He's done the Erling Haaland celebration! That's cold. He knew what he was doing... that's cold," Cole said. "But he's thinking, 'I'm gonna smash Lewis-Kelly, I'm gonna do that, he's gonna get it,' that's what you do if you over-celebrate."
Despite enjoying Arsenal's "feistiness" under Arteta, Cole believes that their celebrations could come back to haunt them in the future. "The over-celebrating that they do... they've done it quite a lot," he said. "And I know people are saying, 'It's good, it's good, it's good', but I'm just thinking for them, it does [come back to haunt you]."
In his post-match press conference, Arteta revealed that he had spoken to his squad about when it was and wasn't acceptable to celebrate in such a manner. "Playing at home or away is very, very different," he told reporters. "We talk about those things and we have to understand that each ground is different, their attitude, what they celebrate and what they don't, is really very different up north as well to here in London."
The Arsenal head coach acknowledged the importance of considering the context of the game and the attitudes of different teams. "It's part of the context of the game," he said. "We have to be aware of that and make sure we don't cross the line." Only time will tell if the Gunners' celebrations will have any repercussions in future matches.
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