Sports
Manchester City star, Kyle Walker caught ‘fighting’ Arsenal coach
The 1-0 defeat to Arsenal did not sit well with Manchester City right-back, Kyle Walker who left it late to get into a heated confrontation with a member of Arsenal’s coaching team.
Tensions flared at the Emirates Stadium following the encounter, with City striker, Erling Haaland also becoming an unexpected participant in the incident.
The dramatic episode unfolded immediately after the final whistle in a closely contested match that saw Arsenal emerge victorious with a late goal, scored in the 85th minute by Gabriel Martinelli, which caught City’s goalkeeper Ederson off guard.
The Emirates Stadium erupted in jubilation, and the intensity spilled over from the pitch to the tunnel.
Sky Sports cameras captured the moment when Walker and Haaland, flanked by officials and an Arsenal coaching staff member, engaged in a heated exchange as both teams made their way back to the dressing rooms.
Subsequent footage revealed that England international Walker had a face-off with Arsenal’s set piece coach, Nicolas Jover, formerly associated with City. Haaland intervened in support of his teammate before the situation was diffused, and both players were separated.
Zoomed-in footage showed Jover gesturing toward Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, who missed the game due to injury, although the trigger for the initial altercation remains unclear.
Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, remained tight-lipped about the incident during his post-match press conference, stating,
“I know what happened, but I don’t want to say. They know it.”
Despite his reticence, Guardiola seemed relatively relaxed, even laughing after delivering his response.
Reflecting on the match, Guardiola acknowledged the competitive nature of the encounter, commenting,
“We had our moments, they had their moments. The rest was equal, and in one action, they won. Arsenal made it difficult.
“Congratulations to Arsenal – that’s all I can do. We know exactly what we have to do, and we’ll do it.”
Arsenal’s 1-0 victory catapulted them to second place in the standings, level on 20 points with league leaders Tottenham, but trailing on goal difference.