Pep Guardiola Reacts to Myles Lewis-Skelly Copying Erling Haaland’s Celebration
Pep Guardiola has given a cryptic response to Myles Lewis-Skelly mimicking Erling Haaland’s signature celebration during Arsenal’s 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City on Sunday. The young midfielder, who scored Arsenal’s third goal—his first professional goal—marked the moment by replicating Haaland’s well-known meditation pose.
In the aftermath of the match, Haaland’s father reacted to both Lewis-Skelly’s celebration and Arsenal’s social media post highlighting it. Now, Guardiola has weighed in, though his response left room for interpretation.
Guardiola’s Cryptic Reaction
During his post-match press conference, Guardiola was asked about Lewis-Skelly’s gesture. The City boss initially claimed he hadn’t seen it before sarcastically questioning his press officer about his response:
“Oh, I didn’t see it. I didn’t see them do that. That’s good. So he did Haaland’s celebration? They have done it? That’s good. Thank you, guys.”
Before answering, Guardiola sat in silence for several moments, seemingly contemplating his words. His eventual reply—“That’s good”—suggested he was carefully choosing how to react.
Tension Between Haaland and Arsenal
The Norwegian striker endured a frustrating night at the Emirates despite scoring City’s equalizer. He was repeatedly targeted by Arsenal players and fans, with defender Gabriel even celebrating in his face after Martin Ødegaard’s opener.
This hostility towards Haaland dates back to the reverse fixture in September, when City snatched a last-minute draw against Arsenal despite playing against ten men for over 45 minutes following Leandro Trossard’s red card. After that match, Haaland was caught on camera telling Mikel Arteta to “stay humble”—a remark that Arsenal supporters have repeatedly referenced amid City’s struggles this season.
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