Arsenal are planning to give Liverpool a guard of honour at Anfield this weekend, despite the Premier League rules not actually requiring the gesture.
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: Referee Anthony Taylor looks on as Bukayo Saka of Arsenal and Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool wait for a VAR decision after Mikel Merino of Arsenal (not pictured) scores his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC at Emirates Stadium on October 27, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Mike Keegan reports for the Daily Mail that Arsenal are expected to follow Chelsea’s lead and give Liverpool a guard of honour at Anfield this weekend.
The Premier League rules don’t say anything about the gesture, so it’s completely up to Arsenal to make the decision for themselves. If they wished to, they could simply refuse.
But the Gunners reportedly believe that the measure is a mark of sportsmanship, so they don’t plan to break with the tradition.
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: Virgil Van Dijk of Liverpool celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC at Emirates Stadium on October 27, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Just last weekend, Rangers refused to give Celtic a guard of honour ahead of their 1-1 draw. But the Scottish Premiership is a different competition, and there’s obviously a lot more history and bitterness between Rangers and Celtic compared to Liverpool and Arsenal.
Arsenal would presumably hope that if they win the league, their title rivals would give them a guard of honour too.
PARIS, FRANCE: Mikel Arteta applauds the fans at full-time following Arsenal's defeat and subsequent elimination from the UEFA Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes on May 07, 2025. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
It would be interesting to see what would happen if Tottenham Hotspur were asked to do so, but for anyone else it would probably be more embarrassing not to. The club in question would come across like petty sore losers.
Arsenal will just have to bite the bullet, like Chelsea already have, and like Brighton and Crystal Palace will in the coming weeks.
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