What Erling Haaland did straight after full-time as Arsenal send Man City title race statement

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland made a point of going straight to the away fans after his side lost 5-1 at Arsenal in the Premier League.

Before kick off, all the attention was on Haaland after his exploits in the draw back in September. At full-time, he told Mikel Arteta to 'stay humble' and threw the ball at the back of Gabriel Magalhaes' head after John Stones equalised at the death.

It was clear the animosity from that game had not disappeared over time as Gabriel chose to celebrate in the face of Haaland after Martin Odegaard gave the Gunners an early lead. Haaland would briefly get his own back as he equalised with a bullet header.

But it was Arsenal who had the last laugh as they romped to victory. Myles Lewis-Skelly mocked the Norwegian's celebration after he made it 3-1 and the icing was put on the cake when Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri both scored to make it a humbling scoreline for Haaland and his team.

Unlike after the game at the Etihad Stadium, Haaland chose to keep his distance from the Arsenal squad at full-time as he went straight over to acknowledge and applaud the away supporters who made the trip to North London. After that was done, he went straight down the tunnel to most likely feel the wrath of manager Pep Guardiola's post-match team talk.

While the post-whistle scenes were largely uneventful, the victory was a huge statement for the Gunners in the title race. Arsenal remain six points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Newcastle and a rare off weekend before returning to action on Saturday, February 15.

Speaking ahead of the game, City boss Guardiola spoke of his surprise at Haaland not losing his cool more often despite supposed rough treatment from defenders “I am surprised how Erling can control his emotions because with every action he’s pulled and he’s pulled - and the referee is always ‘play on, play on," he said.

“How many times does it happen? And he never complains. He controls himself. So talking of a reaction in one game is not real. He behaves incredibly well. Erling stands up. He knows it’s going to happen because the Premier League is that way. You have to stand up and continue, continue, continue and defend your position.

“How many times does it happen? And he never complains. He controls himself. So talking of a reaction in one game is not real. He behaves incredibly well. Erling stands up. He knows it’s going to happen because the Premier League is that way. You have to stand up and continue, continue, continue and defend your position.

“It’s always what he has done. So, for one game, am I going to adjudicate on what he’s done? Come on, I don’t buy it. I’m not saying dark arts. I never used that word. Everyone can do whatever they want but the referee has to intervene when it’s not fair. That’s why he’s the referee."

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