‘It’s part of football’ – Arteta responds to Haaland’s ‘stay humble’ jibe

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta downplayed a post-match exchange with Erling Haaland following Manchester City’s last-minute equaliser over the weekend.

The chaotic 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, has remained talking point days after the clash.

The Premier League match, marked by late drama and a red card for Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard, ended with City striker Haaland telling Arteta to “stay humble” as tensions flared at full-time.

Addressing the incident, Arteta responded calmly, saying, “It’s part of football, part of sport. After the game, all that goes away and we move on. That’s it.”

Mikel Arteta – Getty image

Despite playing much of the second half with 10 men, Arteta defended Arsenal’s approach, saying his side adapted well to difficult circumstances.

“We had to play the game that we had to play… We learnt from the past. We’d better learn, or I’d be thick, very thick,” Arteta remarked.