"We were chasing the whole season and to get hold of it was such a relief" - Manchester City's Erling Haaland reacts after beating Arsenal to PL title
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has expressed his relief at his side beating Arsenal to the Premier League title.
The Gunners got off to an incredible start in the league this term, racking up 50 points at the halfway stage. City, meanwhile, struggled for consistency in the lead-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
However, Pep Guardiola's side eventually found their groove and haven't lost a league game since early February. Arsenal's 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on May 20 meant Manchester City secured the title even before stepping onto the pitch for their game against Chelsea a day later.
Erling Haaland has undoubtedly been the champions' talisman in his first season at the club. He has netted 36 times in the Premier League this term, breaking the all-time record and is up to 52 goals across competitions.
In a video posted by Football Daily on Twitter, Haaland reflected on City's league win, the first of his career:
“I saw a stat of Arsenal being 240 something days top of the table, and we were like 20. We were chasing the whole season, and to get hold of it was such a relief.”
🗣️ “I saw a stat of Arsenal being 240 something days top of the table, and we were like 20. We were chasing the whole season and to get hold of it was such a relief.”
Erling Haaland describes the feeling of winning the Premier League as a relief after chasing Arsenal all year. https://t.co/5BcENraXC5
As per Optus Sport, the Gunners spent as many as 248 days at the top of the Premier League standings this season. Manchester City, meanwhile, led the pack for just 28 days before securing their third league title in a row and fifth in six years.
Manchester City shift focus to FA Cup and UCL as Arsenal prepare for next season
Manchester City's form since February has been nothing short of extraordinary and has put them on course for a historic continental treble. Thanks to their run of 20 wins and four draws since their last defeat, they find themselves in the final of both the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.
City's run to the summit clash in the FA Cup has seen them beat Arsenal, Chelsea, Bristol City, Burnley and Sheffield United along the way. They take on city rivals Manchester United in the final at Wembley on June 3.
In the Champions League, Pep Guardiola's side have had to get past RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and most recently, Real Madrid in the knockouts. They take on Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on June 10.
Arsenal, meanwhile, seemingly put all their efforts into winning the Premier League, suffering premature exits in both cups and the UEFA Europa League. However, they eventually fell short and now need to build more squad depth to challenge for the title again next season.
Granit Xhaka, a key part of their starting XI this term, and Kieran Tierney look set to depart this summer. The Gunners have been linked with potential moves for Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan, West Ham United's Declan Rice and Chelsea's Mason Mount (via The Athletic).
Arsenal could also look to bring in another centre-back, given their lack of adequate backups for William Saliba, whose injury derailed their campaign. Football.london has linked them with a Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.