John Stones called Manchester City's last 30 minutes at Arsenal "unacceptable" and Pep Guardiola agreed. He rarely offers such honest criticism after a performance like this.

After some tentative steps forward and positive results, the 5-1 defeat felt like the last five weeks had not happened and we were back in December 2024. City made the same mistakes, collapsed at the back and looked a shadow of themselves at the Emirates.

Arsenal were welcomed onto the pitch by the PA announcer calling this one of the biggest games of the season. They celebrated like it was the biggest.

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That is fine, why wouldn't you celebrate a rampant win over a side who have denied you so often? It wasn't just the 90 minutes on Sunday, it was three years of pain and now it was City on the receiving end.

It was entirely how you'd expect Arsenal to celebrate a big win like this. Without a care in the world for what anyone else thought (apart from City) and entirely self-indulgent.

For want of a better phrase, City had to eat some humble pie and their coach was surrounded and jeered by Arsenal fans as it left the Emirates Stadium, having to wait in traffic for a few minutes before leaving the area, just to cap off a forgettable afternoon. They have now lost their last two visits to the Emirates after making such a playground of this part of north London.

The game ended as it had started - Mikel Arteta's pre-match statement that the reverse fixture was all water under the bridge was laughable. It was even more obvious that Arsenal used the Etihad shenanigans as motivation when Gabriel Magalhaes celebrated their opener in Erling Haaland's face.

Haaland's 'stay humble' comment had stayed with Arsenal for months. Myles Lewis-Skelly mimicked Haaland's celebration, fans mocked Haaland relentlessly and he was booed off the pitch at the end.

He responded by tapping the gold Premier League badge on his arm at full-time with a smirk and his dad reminded Arsenal of their empty trophy cabinet. He will remember this, too.

When Haaland left the Emirates to board the team coach, escorted by the usual security, he was stopped by Arsenal hospitality guests wanting photos and autographs, as were other City players.

It was a reminder that despite his rotten afternoon, he is still as big a star as any Arsenal player and his 25th goal of the season proves this year is far from a flop - however much Sky Sports return to their annual debate of whether he contributes enough.

Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish stopped for photos and De Bruyne later got back off the team coach when he learned former international teammate Thomas Vermaelen was waiting. The pair chatted for a while, with De Bruyne fetching a City shirt to sign for Vermaelen's son. City assistant Carlos Vicens chatted with former City colleague Nicolas Jover.

No City players were in the mood to chat to media after the game outside of their contracted interviews, most trudging to the buses with heads down. Guardiola left the stadium with his brother after Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain had visited the dressing room.

Those three decision-makers are set for a busy deadline day with the possibility of a late move for a midfielder and some loose ends with exits to tie up. The Arsenal result won't change their plans but it serves as a reminder of how open their midfield still is against top sides.

As Arsenal toast a memorable victory (even if it isn't title-defining), City were forced to take their own advice and stay humble.

Maybe saying nothing at all was the best approach and Guardiola will expect a response on the training pitch and at Leyton Orient next week. The mood could be lifted, too, by any late transfer activity.