Arsenal painted north London red on Sunday as hundreds of thousands of supporters lined the streets of Islington to celebrate the club’s first Premier League title in 22 years.
Less than 24 hours after the heartbreak of their Champions League final penalty shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, Mikel Arteta’s players swapped Budapest for a nine-kilometre open-top bus parade that wound its way through packed streets from Holloway to Islington Green.
Supporters began arriving hours before the first bus appeared, determined to catch a glimpse of the squad that ended the club’s long wait for a league crown.
While police have rejected claims that 1.5 million people attended, a figure circulated widely online by people who should have known better, there was no escaping the scale of the occasion. Tube stations from Angel to Camden Town were forced to close at various points due to overcrowding as supporters descended on north London from across the capital and beyond.
Arteta’s players led the celebrations, followed by club staff, Arsenal Women and representatives from Arsenal in the Community.
Despite the disappointment of Saturday night, the mood on board was overwhelmingly positive. Captain Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice both spoke confidently about the future, making it clear that winning the title has only strengthened the squad’s desire for more success.
“I love this team, I love the manager. To see the joy we can give people, it’s crazy,” Rice told Arsenal Media.
“But, next year we’re coming back for more. You heard it here first now. Lock in or get locked out.”
There was plenty of mischief too. An injured Ben White repeatedly launched his teammates’ sunglasses into the crowd, much to the amusement of those watching below. The fact the glasses were being worn to film content as part of a commercial partnership with Oakley Meta only added to the comedy.
Co-chair Josh Kroenke looked like he was enjoying every bit as much as the players. Sporting a t-shirt emblazoned with the faces of Gabriel and William Saliba, he spent much of the afternoon punching the air and saluting supporters who had filled not only the streets, but nearby trees, traffic lights, lampposts and rooftops.
Elsewhere, the club revived the giant tifo first unveiled ahead of November’s 4-1 victory over Sp*rs, while a new mural opposite Emirates Stadium was completed in time for the celebrations.
Supporters also displayed their own messages of support, particularly for the pair – Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes – who missed penalties in Hungary. In a further show of love, The Athletic reports that sales of the Brazilian’s shirt increased by 350 per cent.
Not everything passed without incident. The London Fire Brigade said it rescued approximately 75 people from height-related incidents during the day, while the Metropolitan Police confirmed six people were stabbed and 24 arrests were made.
Cdr Stuart Bell, who led the Met’s public order operation, said: “I would like to thank the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of Arsenal supporters who attended the day to celebrate safely and responsibly.
“However, we had been clear that violence and other criminality would not be tolerated and unfortunately there were pockets of anti-social behaviour and incidents where officers needed to intervene, including assaults on their colleagues.”
He added: “As the evening progressed and the majority of the crowds made their way home, there was sadly further violence, including gang-related incidents.”
The incidents will inevitably dominate some headlines, but they should not overshadow what was, for the overwhelming majority, a joyous occasion.
After two decades of waiting, Arsenal supporters finally got their day in the sun, and they turned out in numbers befitting a club that once again sits at the top of English football.