Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has issued a warning to Manchester City following their exuberant celebrations in the aftermath of their 2-1 victory over Arsenal on Sunday.
The scores were level at half-time in an edgy game at the Etihad, with Rayan Cherki giving City the lead in the first half before Kai Havertz capitalised on a mistake from Gianluigi Donnarumma two minutes later. But City were in the driver’s seat after the break and Erling Haaland’s restored their advantage in the 65th minute, and Havertz missed a late chance to level the tie.
The result means City have reduced Arsenal’s gap at the top of the table to just three points, and Pep Guardiola’s side were unrestrained in their celebrations at full-time.
Donnarumma jumped into the crowd while City supporters unveiled a banner that read ‘Panic on the streets of London’, as the players did their customary lap of honour – a new initiative for this season.
‘(The celebrations) were a bit over the top,’ Rooney said on Match of the Day on Sunday evening. ‘It’s six games to go for City, it’s obviously a big win. I also think for Arsenal, they need to pick themselves up from that.
‘Arsenal will be relieved that that game has come and gone and they’ve got five games left. If they win them, then they’ve got a good chance of winning the league.’
Match of the Day host Mark Chapman asked the former United forward whether Arsenal will use City’s celebrations as ‘fire’ to motivate their final five games of the season.
To which Rooney replied: ‘I just think it’s a little bit premature and it might come back to bite them.’
Rooney – who admitted he ‘does not want’ his old foes to win the league – said that Arsenal’s more favourable remaining few fixtures will work in their favour.
‘I think it will be tight,’ Rooney added. ‘I think they are good fixtures for Arsenal and they will win all of their games.
‘I think City’s fixtures are a little bit more difficult and I think Everton might take a couple of points off them.’
Rooney’s view is consistent with the stats gurus at Opta, who predict Arsenal still have a 69 per cent chance of winning the league despite defeat at the Etihad.
City’s chances, meanwhile, have risen to 31 per cent, reflecting the model’s view that their remaining fixtures are tougher than Arsenal’s.
Arsenal’s run-in sees them host Newcastle and Fulham before travelling to West Ham. Burnley then visit the Emirates, before they round off the season away at Crystal Palace.
City, meanwhile, travel to Burnley later this week before a trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium to face Everton on Monday, May 4. They then host Brentford, visit Bournemouth, and play Aston Villa at the Etihad on the final day of the season. They also have a game in hand against Crystal Palace still to play, with the date and time yet to be confirmed.
Arsenal will be desperate to put behind them the trauma of three successive runners-up finishes, two of them to City.
And Rooney insisted Mikel Arteta’s side have not lost sight of the title, though he has urged supporters to keep their nerve.
He added: ‘The (Arsenal) fans have got a big role to play.
‘In the last game against Bournemouth they were booing their players off the pitch. They’ve been top of the league all season.
‘I want Arsenal to win the league. I don’t want Man City to win the league.
‘The Arsenal fans need to get behind their team and the importance of that is massive.
‘The players will be nervous as well, they have got to show the players that they’re with them, give them their full support.’
Arsenal boss Arteta was in no mood to throw in the towel after yesterday’s defeat, insisting his side are now ‘even more convinced’ they can win the title despite having won just one of their last six games in all competitions.
He said: ‘Very upset with the result, obviously. We came here to win the game. I think the message was clear from three days before.
‘We prepared to do that, to take the game to the areas that we believe we could win it. We certainly did that. So we proved that we are there.
‘But the reality is (that) in the two boxes today was the difference and that’s what decided the game.
‘I believe today, I believe on Wednesday a week ago (we can win the title) because I see them (players) every day and I know the level that we have. But today if they need to be more convinced, I think they are now more convinced.
‘They were talking about it in the dressing room. It’s a new league now. They (Man City) have a game in hand. We have a three-point advantage and five games to play.
‘So everything is still to play for. We’re not going to stop and we’re going to go again, that’s for sure.’
