Arsenal players lined up to form a guard of honour for Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, paying tribute to the newly crowned Premier League champions. However, one player, Myles Lewis-Skelly, stood out for seemingly choosing not to applaud the Liverpool squad as they took to the pitch.
The guard of honour tradition, while not mandatory, is a common gesture of respect shown to title-winning teams. Arsenal, currently second in the league, upheld this custom ahead of their match against Liverpool. But 18-year-old full-back Lewis-Skelly appeared to break from the norm, refraining from clapping like his teammates.
This incident came at the end of a disappointing week for Arsenal, who were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain, leaving them trophyless for another season.
Manager Mikel Arteta, speaking before the Liverpool match, admitted that his team had regressed in league performance compared to previous campaigns. He remarked, “We’ve taken a step back in the Premier League. The points we’ve earned this season show we haven’t matched last year’s level.”
Despite this, Arteta maintained that Arsenal were the standout team in this year’s Champions League, stating: “When you look at the key statistics, it’s clear who was better. But in football, success is about converting performance into results
