ERLING HAALAND will remember the day he reached 250 club goals in precisely the opposite way he'd like to. Blame Arsenal for that, with a tireless display of winding-up the Manchester City striker that went far beyond a 5-1 win. Losing 5-1 was only the final insult for the 24-year-old, who won the Premier League title and Golden Boot in his first two seasons at the Etihad. Haaland's "Stay Humble" message for Gunners boss Mikel Arteta last September ignited discontent between certain players at both clubs.

And you didn't have to read between the lines on Sunday to see who has taken the lead roles. Arsenal centre-back Gabriel went into the match saying: “It’s a battle, a war". And judging by his efforts almost every time he came up against the Norwegian, it couldn't have been more personal. When Martin Odegaard rammed the Gunners in front after just two minutes, Gabriel roared with joy right in the face of Haaland.

Many viewers were impressed with the calm way the former Borussia Dortmund hero dealt with that - as he virtually ignored the Brazilian. Myles Lewis-Skelly then showed that Arsenal believe you are never too young to goad the goal GOAT. The 18-year-old curved in the third goal and sunk to the floor for a Haaland-style celebration. The defender sat with his arms out and eyes closed - while he was lauded by team-mates standing around him.

JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS. Meanwhile, Gabriel continued his series of combative, niggly encounters with Haaland - sometimes appearing to push him away off the ball. The two exchanged words at one moment, with the forward appearing to smile. And Gabriel's worst - or best moment, depending how you look at it, arrived when the Gunners were 4-1 up. The 27-year-old was on the ground when he reached out to tug down at Haaland's shorts.

Again the City man - this time quite literally - appeared to take the matter in his stride. He briefly looked round to see what was happening but carried on walking away. Unfortunately for Haaland, he could also be seeing the back of his third Prem crown in a row. City, in fourth are now 15 points adrift of leaders Liverpool. Some fans reacted to the Gunners merciless treatment of Haaland by telling him: "If you talk the talk you have to walk the walk.".

Another suggested: "The prem has missed something like this.". And a third said: "As it should be. A defender should rattle strikers and that’s what big Gabby is doing.". But others praised Haaland for appearing to keep his composure. Sky Sports posted a clip of a string of incidents involving the 6ft 4ins ace and his man marker, adding the words: "It's safe to say there was a bit of needle between Haaland and Gabriel today...".