Arsenal mocked – After Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties, rivals moved quickly to mock the Gunners—turning the pain of missed spot-kicks into fresh social media jabs that land right before their Premier League title parade.
The mood around Arsenal changed fast—fast enough that the heartbreak of a penalty shootout was still fresh when the jokes started rolling in.
In a Champions League final against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain. Eberechi Eze and Gabriel both missed their spot-kicks as the shootout ended with Arsenal’s season sealed in agony. Arsenal still have the Premier League title. but the contrast is now impossible to ignore: they won the league. then crashed out of Europe on penalties to finish with only one trophy.
Chelsea were first to jab. Within minutes of Gabriel’s miss. the Blues—who won the Champions League in 2012 and 2021—shared a post on social media that aimed straight at their London neighbours. They posted a link to a booking form for stadium tours with the caption: “Come and visit London’s home of trophies.” The main image showed the Champions League trophy.
Erling Haaland then added his own twist. Known for his regular clashes with Arsenal. he has often been a direct thorn for the Gunners. including incidents involving Gabriel. In 2024. when City faced Arsenal. Gabriel and Haaland came together and Haaland threw the ball at the defender’s head during the game. This year. during City’s 2-1 win over Arsenal in April. the two squared up and Gabriel appeared to narrowly avoid a red card after pushing his head forward.
After Gabriel missed, Haaland shared a snap showing the forward smiling and appearing to enjoy the sun with friends.
Fans flooded the comment section. One wrote: “At least we didn’t bottle the league like you.” Another posted: “Why are you so happy? You didn’t win the cup!”
Tottenham’s Djed Spence joined the mockery too. Arsenal’s north London rivals have not hesitated to trade barbs in recent seasons. and Spence hopped onto the moment after Arsenal’s defeat. Back in February. Arsenal’s X account posted a video of Bukayo Saka and Cristhian Mosquera getting the better of Spence. with the caption: “Locked up.” On Saturday night. Spence quoted that post with eyeball and padlock emojis.
Richarlison followed a different route. sharing an Instagram story featuring a child laughing—though it was unclear if the reaction was genuine laughter or something more like tears. The replies under related posts were just as sharp. One fan wrote: “What a wild thing to tweet after your rivals win the Prem and you almost get relegated.” Another replied: “Imagine players who narrowly escaped relegation having the audacity to banter others. Find some shame. son.” The message behind that line was clear: when a season is spent looking over your shoulder at the relegation zone. humility is expected to come first.
Crystal Palace piled in as well, sharing a graphic reading “European champions” within minutes of full-time. It referenced their own success in the Conference League just days earlier.
On the pitch, PSG’s forward line took Arsenal apart in their own way. Joao Neves. who played the whole game for PSG in the final. didn’t shy away from aiming at Arsenal’s approach. Arsenal had just one shot on target and held less than 25 per cent of the ball. a stark contrast to the confidence Mikel Arteta projected earlier in the week.
Arteta had boasted at an event: “On Saturday, we are going to be champions of Europe.” Neves’s comments cut across that promise. “Coming here was the best decision I’ve ever made,” he said. “I love everything here. We deserved it today, because PSG were the only team that wanted to play.”
The sequence of it all—missed penalties, rivals gloating, and PSG players underlining how the game was played—left Arsenal with a particularly bitter taste heading into the weekend. Now the squad will head back to north London ahead of their Premier League title parade on Sunday.
They’ll be celebrating, but also carrying the sting of one trophy missed from the picture they chased. After the final, Arsenal will be showing off just the one trophy, not two.
Arsenal PSG Champions League final penalty shootout Gabriel Eberechi Eze Erling Haaland Chelsea Tottenham Djed Spence Richarlison Crystal Palace Joao Neves Mikel Arteta Premier League parade