Wayne Rooney has condemned behavior of Manchester City players over what he described as excessive celebrations following their crucial win against Arsenal, suggesting the reaction could prove costly as the Premier League title race intensifies.
Pep Guardiola’s side boosted their chances of lifting the trophy with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium, a result that has added fresh intrigue to the closing stages of the season.
The encounter itself delivered drama throughout, with Rayan Cherki opening the scoring for City before Kai Havertz restored parity after a mistake involving Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Erling Haaland ultimately secured the victory in the second half, ensuring City remained firmly in contention.
Rooney questions City’s reaction
Despite acknowledging the importance of the result, Rooney was critical of the manner in which City marked the occasion.
The former Manchester United forward pointed to scenes at full-time, including Donnarumma’s leap into the crowd and jubilant celebrations from the bench, as evidence of a response he felt was disproportionate given the circumstances.
Speaking on Match of the Day as reported by Mirror, Rooney said: “(The celebrations) were a bit over the top.
“It’s six games to go for City, it’s obviously a big win. I also think for Arsenal, they need to pick themselves up from that.
“Arsenal will be relieved that that game has come and gone and they’ve got five games left. If they win them, then they’ve got a good chance of winning the league.”
Rooney’s assessment underlined his belief that, while the victory was significant, it did not yet warrant such exuberance with several decisive fixtures still to come.
He warned that letting emotions run too high at this stage could distract from the task ahead.
He added: “I just think it’s [the celebrations] a little bit premature and it might come back to bite them.”
Title race remains finely poised
The former England captain also reiterated his view that Arsenal remain in a strong position despite the setback.
Mikel Arteta’s side continue to lead the standings by three points, and City still have a game in hand against struggling Burnley.
For Rooney, the situation is far from settled, with momentum likely to shift again before the campaign concludes.
“This title race is not over yet, I still feel like there are some more twists and turns to come,” Rooney said.
“It is obviously going to be tight but City have got one more game to try to win, so I still have Arsenal down as slight favourites. I’ve been in this situation myself, where you need to win all your games for the title.
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“You look at your games and you think well we should win this one, or that one, but it never pans out that way.
“From now until the end of the season it is just going to be down to which team keeps their composure the best – that’s who will win it.”
Having experienced similar scenarios during his playing career, Rooney highlighted the importance of maintaining focus and discipline, rather than being carried away by individual results.
As the season approaches its conclusion, both sides face a demanding sequence of matches that will test their resilience.
The contest between them remains finely balanced, with neither team able to afford missteps.
