Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly did not treat Arsenal’s title night as a clean, ceremonial ending. They used it as a direct answer to the “bottlers” label, with Lewis-Skelly saying, “They called us bottlers, and now we're holding the bottles!” Saka added: “22 years, they were laughing & joking, they're not laughing anymore.”
Arsenal finished first in the Premier League with 82 points and a 25W-7D-5L record. They had also finished as runners-up in three consecutive seasons before winning the title, which is why the celebration carried so much edge.
How Arsenal turned the taunt back on its critics
The social-media reaction was the story. Saka and Lewis-Skelly’s posts made the response feel deliberate, not just celebratory. Arsenal’s first Premier League title since the 2003-04 Invincibles season was always going to invite relief, but the messaging showed how much the squad had carried the criticism with them.
The numbers back up the point that this was a proper title season rather than a lucky late run. Arsenal’s 82-point finish, plus four wins in their last five league games, gave the campaign the look of a side that controlled the finish rather than stumbled into it. Saka’s own output mattered too, with a 7.24 league rating, 7 Premier League goals and 5 assists in the title-winning campaign.
The wait, the runners-up finishes and the mood outside the Emirates
The 22-year gap is what gives the jokes their bite. Arsenal had gone since 2003-04 without a league title, and the three straight runner-up finishes before this one made the release on the night feel overdue. That is why the bottle line landed so cleanly, it took a familiar insult and flipped it into a victory line.
The celebrations were not confined to the dressing room. Ian Wright was seen leading chants outside the Emirates Stadium, which said plenty about how much the title meant around the club. There is still room for debate over when exactly the title was secured, including the claim that Manchester City failed to beat Bournemouth on Tuesday night, but the record is settled in the table: Arsenal finished top, and the response to the “bottlers” tag came with the trophy in hand.
If anything, that is the sharper part of the story. Arsenal did not just win the title, they chose to answer their critics while holding it, and the next version of this debate will start with the fact that they are champions again.
FAQ
Why did Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly mock Arsenal’s critics after the title?
They used Arsenal’s title celebration to answer the long-running “bottlers” label directly. Lewis-Skelly joked, “They called us bottlers, and now we're holding the bottles!”, while Saka posted, “22 years, they were laughing & joking, they're not laughing anymore.”
How long did Arsenal wait to win the Premier League again?
Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for a Premier League title, dating back to the 2003-04 Invincibles season. The win also followed three consecutive seasons of finishing as runners-up, which is why the response from Saka and Lewis-Skelly felt so pointed.
Did Arsenal’s title celebrations include Ian Wright?
Yes. Ian Wright was seen leading chants outside the Emirates Stadium during the celebrations. That detail added to the mood around a title night that was as much about release and response as it was about the trophy itself.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →
