Arsenal players in dawn celebrations after winning Premier League

AFP | London

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Arsenal players were pictured celebrating with fans at 5:00 am at Emirates Stadium yesterday after they clinched the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years.

Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber were pictured in the early hours in an Instagram post by their teammate Eberechi Eze.

Thousands of fans had gathered outside the stadium while Manchester City, needing a win to keep the title race alive, played at Bournemouth.

The crowd grew as Bournemouth took the lead and although City equalised in injury time, the draw meant the title was heading to North London.

Some supporters marked the occasion by lighting fireworks and flares.

The players held a party at their London Colney training ground with coach Mikel Arteta and then took the celebrations to the Emirates Stadium.

Many of the players said the title win was especially sweet as they had finished runners-up for the past three seasons.

Saka said Arsenal’s critics were “not laughing at us anymore”.

“Let me tell you something. Twenty-two years, 22 years. there was laughing, there was joking, they’re not laughing anymore,” the England international added.

In another video posted by Saka, 19-year-old defender Myles Lewis-Skelly is brandishing a champagne bottle.

“They called us bottlers,” said Lewis-Skelly, who has come through the club’s academy. “And now we’re holding the bottle.” Arsenal fans thronged around the stadium, hanging out of car windows and waving flags. George Owusu-Afriyie, a 32-year-old supporter, said: “It doesn’t feel real. It feels like I’m going to wake up tomorrow and be like, yeah, it was a dream, but we did it. We actually did it. Wow. It’s going to be the best summer ever.”

Julia Szumilas, 20, described how people had streamed towards the stadium after Manchester City fell short.

“Everyone was running from all the pubs. We started running down to here. (Taking) bikes, running, driving their cars down... It was insane.”

Arsene Wenger, the French coach who was in charge when Arsenal won their last title in 2004, addressed the players in a video on the club’s social media channels.

“You did it! Champions go on when others stop. This is your time. Now, go on and enjoy every moment,” Wenger said.