"That's Good"—Pep Guardiola Reacts to Arsenal Star Mocking Erling Haaland After Man City's Heavy Defeat

Manchester City endured a humiliating 5-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday evening, and it was a night filled with taunts aimed at City’s star striker, Erling Haaland. From the moment the game started, Arsenal players made sure to remind Haaland of past comments and on-field clashes.

Back in September, after City’s previous match against Arsenal, Haaland had told Gunners boss Mikel Arteta to “stay humble.” That comment clearly wasn’t forgotten, as Arsenal players wasted no time getting under the Norwegian’s skin.

First, Gabriel celebrated Martin Ødegaard’s opening goal by screaming right in Haaland’s face. Later, Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly copied Haaland’s famous meditation celebration after scoring the team’s third goal. As if that wasn’t enough, the Emirates Stadium speakers played Kendrick Lamar’s song Humble after the final whistle—another clear jab at the City striker.

When asked about Arsenal mocking Haaland, City manager Pep Guardiola kept his response short but telling.

“I didn’t see… they did that?” he said. “That’s good.”

He then paused for a few seconds, staring at the table in front of him, before repeating: “That’s good.”

On his way out of the press conference, he even turned to City’s press officer and asked, “Did you like my answer?”—a sign that he knew exactly what he was doing with his measured response.

While Arsenal had fun at Haaland’s expense, Guardiola was more concerned about how his team collapsed in the final 20 minutes.

“I only regret the last 25 minutes,” he admitted. “We forgot to do what we should do, what we have done for 65 or 70 minutes.”

Guardiola believed his team had played well after a tough opening spell, especially when they equalized at 1-1. But after Arsenal took the lead again, City lost their focus.

“We are giving away too many things,” Guardiola said. “We talk about it, but it keeps happening. You have to stay in control for the full 90 or 95 minutes. You cannot lose the game the way we did.”

Guardiola’s annoyance is evident as Manchester City has now experienced a major setback in their title quest. The pressure on the defending champions is increasing as Arsenal’s strength increases and City’s defense appears to be weakening.