Erling Haaland had a tough return to action against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday. He was taunted by two opponents, including 18-year-old Lewis-Skelly, after goals, and the fans at Emirates Stadium reminded him of his comments from the teams’ last match.
The tension from their previous meeting, a 2-2 draw at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium in September, was still clear. In that game, after Haaland scored a late equalizer, he threw the ball at Arsenal defender Gabriel and told Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, to “stay humble, eh?” Those words came back to haunt Haaland as City were crushed 5-1 by Arsenal.
Gabriel seized the chance to get back at Haaland, celebrating right in his face after Martin Odegaard scored to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead in the second minute.
Later in the game, after Haaland had scored to level the match, Lewis-Skelly put Arsenal 3-1 ahead and celebrated by sitting down, crossing his legs, and performing a “Zen” move — a celebration Haaland often uses. In the 2-2 match in September, Haaland had used words that seemed to mock Lewis-Skelly.
The 18-year-old Lewis-Skelly, who plays at left back, was only available for this match after his red card from last weekend’s game against Wolverhampton was overturned.
The Premier League made sure to highlight the ongoing rivalry between the teams. On its official X (formerly Twitter) account, followed by over 45 million people, the league posted a picture of Gabriel and Haaland’s confrontation, calling it “The latest chapter in the long-running Erling Haaland vs. Gabriel series.”
Later in the second half, after Gabriel won a free kick, he grabbed Haaland’s shorts and refused to shake his hand when Haaland tried to help him up. To top it off, one Arsenal fan held up a sign that said “Stay humble, eh?”
When the game ended, Arsenal played Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” loudly through the stadium, adding to the fiery atmosphere.
