New footage from inside the Emirates Stadium has shed some more light on the bust-up between Kyle Walker, Erling Haaland and members of Arsenal’s backroom staff following Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat over the weekend.
Walker and Haaland were involved in a touchline spat with one of the Arsenal coaching staff as the teams were leaving the pitch on Sunday, the individual who has now been revealed to be set-piece coach Nicola Jover, a former Man City employee himself.
Despite the cameras catching glimpses of the argument, it was only later in the coverage of the post-match scenes that an angle showing the altercation from start to finish that viewers got a clearer picture of what happened.
While it is still unclear what words were exchanged by the immediate trio involved, the latest footage appears to show Jover reaching out for a handshake only for Walker to wave his arms in dismissal before growing frustrated and turning to confront the coach.
Kyle Walker & Haaland raging at our Set Piece coach for offering a handshake 😭 pic.twitter.com/WjLNisdj1L
A longer video showing what sparked the fight between Walker, Haaland and the Arsenal coach.
Once again, although it is not yet known what was said by Jover or Walker during the bust-up, there is presumably a trigger beyond the City fullback refusing to shake his former coach’s hand, with Haaland also coming over to intervene before the fight escalates further.
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As you can see in the clip, several other members from each team ultimately get involved before Walker, Haaland and others are shepherded down the tunnel.
Serving on the punditry panel, Gary Neville joked that players “don’t like set-pieces on the training pitch full-stop, let alone the opposition set-piece coach having a go”, whereas former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott suggested that City “are not used to losing” and that instead of their usual “professionalism”, he believes “a nerve has been picked here”.
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It will be interesting to find out exactly what was said, whether this was simply emotions boiling over after a loss, or perhaps even a personal issue between a player and his old coach. Speaking to media after the game, manager Pep Guardiola confirmed he knows what happened but didn’t want to divulge it.
🗣️ “I know what happened but I don’t want to say… They know it.”
Pep Guardiola says he was unwilling to reveal what happened between Kyle Walker, Erling Haaland and Nicolas Jover at full-time between Arsenal and Manchester City yesterday. pic.twitter.com/orMuyXEUTg
Shaking his head and simply adding, “They know it” — presumably referring to Walker and Haaland — Pep also went on to say that he understood the reaction from the Arsenal staff, suggesting that the incident predominantly arose as a result of his own players’ reactions.
That’s back-to-back wins for Arsenal against the Blues following the Community Shield victory at the start of this year’s campaign but a first Premier League victory against his former club for Mikel Arteta since becoming a manager.
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In fact, it was the Gunners’ first league victory against City since 2015, before Guardiola had even arrived at the Etihad.
Nevertheless, the Catalan coach’s post-match interview was filled with plenty more humour as well, clearly taking the defeat in stride and even brushing off the jokes that Arteta is a “mini-me” with a light-hearted comeback.
Reporter: Do you look at Mikel and think there's a mini me?
Pep: I dress better… I'm more elegant, I'm sorry. My wife gives me the perfect outfit all of the time 😂
Featured Image — Kyle Walker (via Instagram)/Sky Sports/Man City (via Twitter)
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2027 Manchester Marathon sells out in record time after biggest event ever
Danny Jones
The 2027 adidas Manchester Marathon has already sold out in record time after the biggest event in the race’s history.
Incredible stuff.
Yes, after more than 42,000 runners took on this year’s 26.2-mile challenge – the highest number to date – public places for next year’s Manchester Marathon have gone in the blink of an eye.
To be specific, they were snapped up in just 10 days: even faster than the last time around, with 2026 having also broken the previous fastest (or PB, if you will) time before that.
Posting on social media, the organisers wrote: “We’re blown away by the response as a record-breaking number of public places were secured during our launch window, and we’re now officially at capacity.
“Thank you for the amazing support. We can’t wait to help you turn your 26.2 dreams into reality.”
They also went on to remind people that even if they missed out, potential participants can still secure a place through their official charity partners.
Manchester Marathon maintains annual partnerships with the likes of Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Mind, and The Christie Charity.
Teaming up with numerous non-profit organisations over the decades after it first began way back in 1908, before enjoying multiple stints during the 1980s and late 90s into the noughties, huge sums have been raised over the years.
It’s never anything less than a heartwarming and inspiring day.
The modern MCR Marathon, as we know it, returned in its present format nearly a decade and a half ago, beginning its current collaboration with sportswear giants adidas, therefore helping raise the profile even further, with the 2026 fundraising tally also reaching a record-breaking £5.2 million this past April.
At the moment, the Manchester Marathon maintains annual partnerships with the likes of Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Mind, and The Christie Charity.
Once again, these organisations, along with the likes of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and many more, will continue to offer charity places for the 2027 Manchester Marathon, provided you can hit the fundraising total.
We don’t know about you, but we’re loving this city and the surrounding boroughs being well and truly in their running era, and we also urge all of you who make up part of the local culture to immerse yourself in all aspects – especially when it comes to the post-race season party…
DJs, karaoke, quizzing, three full rooms, an entire beer garden to themselves, and MUCH more. 👀
Manchester City ‘strongly condemn’ racist abuse towards first-team players at Everton
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club have released a statement following yet more troubling racist abuse in the Premier League this May bank holiday.
Pep Guardiola’s side faced Everton in a fixture that ended in a 3-3 draw, which could prove pivotal in their pursuit of leaders Arsenal.
Sadly, however, one of the main stories to be taken from the game once again revolves around abuse and discrimination.
Match officials were quickly made aware of racial remarks directed at winger Antoine Semenyo on the day, and, unfortunately, defender Marc Guehi has also been the subject of hateful messaging online in the aftermath of the result.
Sharing a short, but simple and emphatic statement, the club wrote: “Manchester City strongly condemns the racist abuse directed towards Antoine Semenyo at yesterday’s match.
“We welcome the swift action taken by Everton and the police to identify the individual responsible.
“We are also incredibly disappointed to hear that Marc Guéhi was subject to a series of vile racist social media posts last night.”
They go on to add that they will “continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”
Everton themselves have since confirmed that local authorities swiftly identified at least one individual alleged to be responsible for the unacceptable behaviour.
As mentioned in their own post, the culprit is said to have been a 71-year-old man who was quickly flagged by fans and stewards inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
While this may be the first incident reported at the Toffees’ new home ground, regrettably, it’s just the latest in a long line of similar cases raised not just in English football but the top flight, specifically.
It goes without saying that we’re sorry to hear that stuff like this is still happening, and we send our strength to all those who continue to be affected by this despicable treatment.
As ever, ‘the beautiful game’ is for everyone and racism has no place in society, let alone football – kick it out once and for all. In other news surrounding Man City, there’s also been some controversy surrounding their upcoming FA Youth Cup final.
Danny Jones -
9th October 2023 
