- Arsenal greeted Liverpool with a guard of honour before their game on Sunday
- Arne Slot’s side took home the title with four games to go at the end of April
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Are Arsenal even close to achieving big things?
Arsenal had to give Liverpool a humbling guard of honour at Anfield ahead of their Premier League clash on Sunday.
After beating Tottenham 5-1 at the end of last month, Liverpool pipped the Gunners to the title with four games to go and a 15-point lead, making Arne Slot‘s side the joint-third earliest champions in Premier League history.
Arsenal have trailed Liverpool since November, with the Reds sitting in first place for the past six months.
Although there is no obligation in the Premier League regulations to give the title-winning team a guard of honour, Mikel Arteta explained before the game that Liverpool deserve one for their achievements this season.
‘They deserve that,’ he said. ‘They’ve been the best team, they’ve been the most consistent, and what Arne [Slot] and the coaching staff have done has been fascinating, it’s been really good.
‘They fully deserve it, and that’s the sport. If somebody’s better, you have to approve and accept and try to reach that level.’
Arsenal had to give Liverpool a guard of honour ahead of their Premier League clash at Anfield
Mikel Arteta stated before the game that Arne Slot’s side ‘deserved’ to be honoured in this way
Liverpool become the 12th side to receive the guard of honour since it was first performed in the Premier League 22 years ago.
Manchester United are believed to be the first Premier League side to receive a guard of honour, having been serenaded by Everton at Goodison Park in May 2003.
However, the first notable guard of honour in English football took place in 1955, when United honoured Chelsea for winning their first league title.
Despite not winning the league since 2020, this is the second consecutive year in which fans at Anfield have witnessed a guard of honour at the end of the season.
In Jurgen Klopp’s final home match in charge of Liverpool, he was honoured by players and staff in front of the Merseyside crowd.
