Arsenal finished seven points clear of Manchester City to become English champions for the 14th time, but for the first occasion since 2003-04 when Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ won the Premier League without losing a game.
The parade took place on Sunday, one day after the Gunners had narrowly missed out on creating club history when they lost 4-3 on penalties to Paris St-Germain in the final of the Champions League.
After it had finished 1-1 at the end of extra-time, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel both missed penalties in the shootout as PSG retained their European title, with the Gunners failing to win what would have been a first Champions League title.
On Sunday, before the parade, Gabriel wrote on Instagram: “It’s painful, but I’m proud of this team and everything we achieved together this season.
“Thank you to our incredible fans for your support every step of the way. You deserve to celebrate this journey with us and enjoy the parade today.”
While the players were devastated at the loss in the final in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday, that did not dampen the celebrations on Sunday.
Nineteen-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly, who came through the Gunners academy, spoke to Sky Sports News before boarding the bus.
On the Champions League defeat, he said: “It’s disappointing because, you know, when you’re so close to a dream, a goal, and you feel slightly short, but, just as Mikel said, adds fuel to the fire, so we’ll use that for us.”
But Lewis-Skelly felt this Premier League triumph could be the beginning of a period of success for the Gunners.
“I feel like it’s a start of a new era and we’re ready to go out and achieve our dreams,” he added.
“This means means everything just to share this moment with our people. It’s going to be emotional. The last couple of weeks have been incredible.”
When asked for a message to fans, he replied: “Thank you and we’re not done.”
