FA: The Football Association has begun an inquiry after Arsenal supporters hurled items towards Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne during the Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
Erling Haaland sealed a 3-1 victory for the defending champions, knocking Arsenal out of first place, which they had held since the third week of the season.
Bukayo Saka’s penalty spot-kick leveled the score after De Bruyne had opened the scoring for Manchester City, but goals from Jack Grealish and Haaland clinched the three points for Guardiola’s side.
After getting substitute in the 87th minute, Gunners’ Fans hit De Bruyne with plastic bottles as he made his way back to the dugout around the pitch.
The incident was mentioned in the match report by the referee. Sky Sports News has reached out to the Met Police and Manchester City for comment.
Bruyne looked back at the fans as he evaded a tossed bottle as another hit the corner flag.
After the triumph, the 31-year-old made light of the situation, writing on Instagram, “Beer anyone?”
He then posted another photo of a plastic cup approaching him with the remark, “Thanks!”
In addition to getting into a physical altercation with Mikel Arteta on the touchline, De Bruyne had a busy evening in north London.
The FA has launched an inquiry after Arsenal supporters threw items towards Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola praised his team’s performance after the win but warned that the fight for the league crown is far from over.
“It was half-time,” Guardiola stated. “It’s difficult to play against them because their set-up is so superb.
“We were in the game, and in the end, the players’ quality made the difference.”
Arsenal has now lost three of its past four matches in all competitions, although they trail City just on goal differential and have a game in hand.
Guardiola, despite rising to the top of the standings, stressed that there was still a long way to go in the season.
“There are still many games to go, the Champions League is coming, the Europa League is coming. So, but most importantly, we may have come here a few weeks ago eight or nine points behind and losing here. He added, [that would mean the championship battle] may be practically finalize.”.