Erling Haaland took aim at Mikel Arteta with a simple but stinging ‘stay humble’ remark following Manchester City’s 2–2 draw against Arsenal.

After John Stones’ equaliser at the death, the Man City striker also threw the ball at Gabriel Magalhaes’ head, sparking tensions at full-time.

In a heated exchange, Haaland told Gabriel Jesus, ‘I wasn’t talking s—, clown’, as the confrontation escalated before Jack Grealish intervened.

Haaland’s antics, including the sharp interaction with 17-year-old substitute Myles Lewis-Skelly, reflect the rising intensity of the Man City–Arsenal rivalry, driven by their recent Premier League title battles.

He won’t face any retrospective punishment for throwing the ball at the back of Gabriel’s head as VAR reviewed the incident at the time and deemed no action was necessary.

Antics aside, Haaland scored his 10th league goal of the season as Gary Neville hailed the superstar forward for his ‘utter devastation’.

On commentary duty for Sky Sports, he said: “That is complete and utter devastation in footballing terms.

“Brilliant from Savinho but as soon as you see Haaland point to that space, the acceleration from the two best centre backs in the country is unbelievable. The poke past Raya is dismissive.”

Haaland has helped the Blues record 13 points from their first five league games as they sit at the top of the table at this early stage.