Saka calls out critics as players celebrate title at Emirates at 5am

Arsenal players were seen outside the Emirates Stadium at 5:00 AM BST, celebrating their crowning as Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years. The celebrations highlighted both their triumph and the journey leading up to this moment.

Eberechi Eze shared pictures on Instagram during the early hours of Wednesday, standing outside the stadium in North London alongside teammates Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, and Jurrien Timber.

Timber, the Dutch defender, posted a video with Saka beside a Premier League trophy that was blacked out until the team secured the win. “Light that up,” Saka stated. He further emphasized, “Let me tell you something. Twenty-two years, 22 years. There was laughing, there was joking; they're not laughing anymore. Look, it is going to be shining, it is going to be shining bright.”

In another video shared by Saka, 19-year-old defender Myles Lewis-Skelly was seen holding a champagne bottle. “They called us bottlers,” remarked academy graduate Lewis-Skelly. “And now we’re holding the bottle.” Eze's Instagram post also featured a picture of an Arsenal-branded bottle, referring to the criticism the team faced for finishing second in the league for three consecutive seasons.

An additional Instagram story showed captain Martin Odegaard with a bottle playfully positioned in his mouth. Arsenal's record goalscorer, Thierry Henry, also expressed his delight on Instagram, stating: “Special thanks to this generation - finally now my kids saw us winning the league.”

The club has planned a trophy parade around Islington on Sunday, May 31, at 14:00 BST, the day after they compete against holders Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest.

During the previous night, fans gathered outside the stadium and in nearby pubs while rivals Manchester City played Bournemouth, needing a win to prolong the title race. Eventually, Pep Guardiola's team could only manage a draw, which confirmed Arsenal as champions for the first time in 22 years.

As the final whistle sounded on the south coast, there was a resounding cheer in pubs throughout North London as Arsenal supporters celebrated a moment that, following numerous title near-misses, they believed might never arrive.

Arsenal legend Ian Wright, who scored 185 goals for the club and won the title in 1998, was surrounded by fans as he celebrated outside the Emirates. The atmosphere was equally jubilant at the Gunners' training ground, where the squad had assembled for the evening. Just like in the pubs, the final whistle triggered significant celebrations, with players and staff dancing, hugging, and chanting, "Campeones, Campeones, Ole Ole Ole!"

Last month, Arsenal captain Declan Rice insisted, "it's not done," following a loss to Manchester City. However, on Tuesday, with the title race finally concluded, he posted a social media update featuring players celebrating, captioned: “It’s done.”

This title victory marks a significant achievement in Mikel Arteta’s seventh year as head coach and illustrates what can be accomplished when a manager is given the necessary time to develop the squad. Paul Robinson, a former Premier League goalkeeper, stated on BBC Radio 5 Live: “Mikel Arteta's been there a long period of time. The best gift you can give a good manager is time. Yes, you can give them hundreds of millions of pounds, but you have to mold that money into a team, into a dressing room, a winning side. You give a good manager time? There’s the proof.”

Now Arsenal fans dreaming of the double

When Arsenal completed an unbeaten season to lift the Premier League trophy in 2003-04—earning them the moniker 'The Invincibles'—few would have anticipated it would take nearly a quarter of a century for the club to win the title again.

"I’ve got married, had a child, who’s now a teenager, and got divorced, all since Arsenal last won the league," commented one Gunners supporter.

The joy of finally ending this long wait inspired fans to celebrate in different ways. One supporter noted that they had a can of lager from 2021 commemorating the 1971 double and pledged not to drink it until Arsenal won the league. As eyes turn to the future, the potential dream of achieving a double remains intact as Arsenal prepares to face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final on May 30.

"I am confident that we are going to do it," asserted Gunners fan Chloe during a conversation on BBC Radio 5 Live. “PSG are very worthy opponents. But I feel there is that edge and hunger, and on our day... I feel that this is our time.”

Twenty-two years in the making

Arsenal's victory also garnered messages of congratulations across social media.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, an ardent Gunners supporter, tweeted: “22 long years for the Arsenal. But finally, we're back where we belong. Champions!”

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, added: “Congratulations to Arsenal - the first London club to win the league in almost a decade and 22 years in the making.”

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton shared an image on Instagram of the Arsenal team celebrating the victory with the caption: “Come On You Gunners.” After witnessing his side's title ambitions conclude at Bournemouth, Manchester City’s Guardiola also took the opportunity to congratulate Arsenal: “We were close. On behalf of everyone at Manchester City, we congratulate Mikel and all the staff, players, and fans on winning the Premier League. They deserve it.”