The Manchester City fan who went viral during the 0-3 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge has again revelled in the moment after the 2-1 victory over Arsenal on Sunday.
In a high-stakes encounter at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City tightened the Premier League title race by securing a dramatic victory over leaders Arsenal.
The contest ignited when Rayan Cherki – who had earlier rattled the woodwork – unlocked the Gunners’ defence with dazzling footwork to fire Manchester City ahead, only for Kai Havertz to pounce on a Gianluigi Donnarumma error to level the scores just 107 seconds later.
Following a tense exchange where both Erling Haaland and Eberechi Eze struck the post, and Donnarumma redeemed himself with a vital save against Havertz, Haaland eventually delivered the decisive blow with a predatory close-range finish.
Despite late pressure that saw a Gabriel header deflected onto the post and Havertz miss a clear opportunity around the six-yard box, it was Pep Guardiola’s side who held firm to move within three points of the summit with a game in hand.
What has the viral Man City ‘bottle man’ fan done now?
Now, the lifelong Manchester City fan Tal Rehman has gone viral once again, revelling in his club’s mammoth 2-1 victory over Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday alongside fellow supporters on the concourse.
Dancing along to the tune of ‘Where’s your bottle gone’ aimed at the Gunners, Rehman has been captured mimicking the pouring of tears into his Arsenal-branded bottle, which first went viral at Stamford Bridge last time out.
How did this all start?
Rehman became an overnight sensation during City’s 3-0 victory over Chelsea on April 12, after television cameras captured him mockingly drinking from an Arsenal-branded water bottle at Stamford Bridge.
The gesture is a pointed jab at the Gunners, poking fun at the narrative that Mikel Arteta’s side are beginning to ‘lose their bottle’ in the race for the Premier League trophy, first following a shock defeat to Bournemouth.
Occurring as City cruised to victory courtesy of goals from Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guéhi, and Jeremy Doku, the moment perfectly captured the apparent shift in momentum that saw Pep Guardiola’s side cut the gap at the summit to just six points.
Rehman later revealed in media interviews that the bottle was a souvenir from a previous clash at the Etihad Stadium, but his opportunistic ‘banter’ has quickly turned him into a viral meme, symbolising a growing sense of inevitability surrounding City’s latest top-flight title charge.
