During Manchester City’s victory over Chelsea, a travelling City fan stole the spotlight by pulling out an empty plastic bottle with an Arsenal logo and mimicking a celebratory drink. The gesture quickly went viral on social media as a meme, taunting Arsenal for potentially "bottling it" again amid their recent slump.

The joke references Arsenal’s dramatic stumble in recent weeks. Since March 22, the Gunners have lost the League Cup final to City, been knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton, struggled against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, and suffered a home defeat to 11th-placed Bournemouth in the Premier League. TV commentator Conor McNamara quipped that the fan might be "drinking Arsenal tears."

Pep Guardiola’s City have now closed the gap to just six points behind leaders Arsenal, who have lost three consecutive domestic games. McNamara noted, "History tells us that when the spring sun comes out, Arsenal sometimes wilt, but Manchester City so often bloom and blossom down that closing stretch."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted after the Bournemouth loss: "We were very far from the standards that we’ve shown all season, so it’s a big punch in the face because we wanted to win this game so badly." He said his players are hurting but need to "embrace the challenge" ahead.

According to Opta, Arsenal’s title chances for the 2025-26 season have dropped from 98% to 86.98%. The upcoming clash at the Etihad Stadium could be decisive. Guardiola expressed respect for Arsenal, but his calls for calm haven’t silenced talks of a potential "domestic treble" for City, who already have the League Cup and are favorites for the FA Cup and league title.

Source: www.aljazeera.com