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Pep Guardiola sends classy message to Arsenal after EPL victory
20th May, 2026 09:03 AM
The Manchester City duo of manager Pep Guardiola and striker Erling Haaland have conceded defeat in the highly contested EPL title race, which culminated in the club losing the trophy to Arsenal with a game to spare.
The London club were officially declared the 2025/26 league champions after Manchester City dropped crucial points in a penultimate clash away to Bournemouth. The result left Arsenal with an unassailable four-point lead, securing the club’s first league title since their famous “Invincibles” run of 2004 under Arsène Wenger.
Congratulations!
“On behalf of Manchester City, congratulations to Arsenal, Mikel [Arteta], his staff, and their fans for the Premier League title—you deserve it,” Guardiola said during his post-match press conference.
The manager reflected on the tight race with their arch-rivals, which finally came to an end following the draw at the Vitality Stadium. Pep was particularly praiseworthy of his team’s fight in a race he reckoned shifted dramatically in Arsenal’s favour during the final weeks of the season.
Pep on City fight
“This is one of the years in my managerial career where we fought incredibly hard for something that was ultimately out of our hands, and we never gave up. We would have loved to push it further, but it just wasn’t meant to be,” he added.
Guardiola also admitted that his squad suffered from fatigue against Andoni Iraola’s side. The Cityzens approached the midweek clash fresh off a gruelling 1-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday, May 16, 2026, which had secured their FA Cup success.
“Sometimes you lose because your opponents are good and tough. Bournemouth have been unbeaten in their last several games, and it shows how good they are. Today, we lacked the pace and sharpness needed to play against such an opponent. Our calendar has been incredibly packed toward the end of the season; traveling to London for the final against Chelsea took a lot out of us, and you need to be fresh for these games,” he added.
A similar concession was delivered by Erling Haaland, who conveyed his congratulations to the new champions and his Norwegian international teammate, Martin Ødegaard.
Haaland, whose on-and-off-the-pitch battles with Arsenal’s defensive duo of Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba have been a major talking point of the season, admitted that while it hurts to lose, he is happy for his compatriot.
“When you get the most points, you deserve to win the league, so congratulations to Martin [Ødegaard]. It is well deserved; he deserves this trophy. It will be tough to see him lift it, but it’s still fantastic when a fellow Norwegian lifts the Premier League trophy,” Haaland added.
