^ ^ Liverpool star reveals the real reason he wildly celebrated Arsenal’s Champions League defeat

Liverpool star Jeremie Frimpong was seen celebrating Arsenal’s loss to PSG (Picture: X)

Jeremie Frimpong has responded to the backlash he received for his reaction to Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to PSG, insisting he was simply ‘happy’ that he had won a bet with his friend.

Videos of Frimpong wildly celebrating Arsenal’s devastating penalty-shootout loss in Budapest went viral on social media, with the Liverpool full-back filmed leaping out of his chair and screaming with joy after Gabriel’s missed spot-kick.

Eberechi Eze had also failed with his effort earlier on in the shootout, with the scoreline locked at 1-1 at the end of extra-time after Ousmane Dembele had cancelled out Kai Havertz’s stunning sixth-minute strike.

The result saw PSG successfully defend their crown as European champions, a year on from their thumping victory over Inter Milan, while the Gunners’ long wait for Champions League glory continues on into next season.

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Despite the crushing disappointment, Arsenal fans flocked to the streets of north London in huge numbers to celebrate the club’s Premier League title triumph less than 24 hours later, with Mikel Arteta’s squad dusting themselves off to soak up the moment from an open-top bus.

And while the jubilant scenes played out in the capital, Frimpong took the opportunity to try to clear up why he was seen revelling in Arsenal’s misery the previous night.

The Netherlands international took to Instagram to write on his stories: ‘[two laughing emojis] chill me and my friend made a bet and I won and that’s why I was happy [shrugging emoji]’

Jeremy Frimpong et sa famille étaient en hatewatch TOTALE hier soir 😂 pic.twitter.com/x0YVD4WPmT

— Instant Foot ⚽️ (@lnstantFoot) May 31, 2026

Frimpong called for fans to ‘chill’ after his celebrations went viral (Picture: Instagram/@jeremiefrimpong)

In his next post, Frimpong sent his best wishes to Arne Slot, who was relieved of his duties as Liverpool head coach just hours prior to the Champions League final.

‘Thank you for everything coach,’ Frimpong said.

‘All the best for the future!’

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Frimpong was by no means alone in enjoying Arsenal’s demise, with Chelsea’s official Instagram account even poking fun at the Gunners on their heartbreak in Hungary.

‘Come and visit London’s Home of Trophies,’ the club wrote in a statement in the immediate aftermath of the final.

‘Book your Stadium Tour at Stamford Bridge now via the link on our story or in our bio.’

Just hours later, though, Chelsea’s social media team backpedaled a little, writing: ‘We probably deserve another red card for that last post!

‘But in all seriousness, congratulations to Arsenal on winning the Premier League and a great run in the Champions League.

‘Looking forward to picking up the battle again with you next season.’

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^ ^ Micah Richards says Arsenal ‘technician’ should have taken penalty ahead of Gabriel Magalhaes

Noni Madueke should have taken one of Arsenal’s penalties in the final, says Micah Richards (Picture: Getty)

Micah Richards has applauded Gabriel Magalhaes for ‘stepping up’ and taking a penalty against Paris Saint-Germain, but believes Noni Madueke should have been given the nod for Arsenal’s fifth spot-kick.

Saturday’s Champions League final had to be decided via a nerve-shredding shootout, with the scoreline locked at 1-1 after Ousmane Dembele had cancelled out Kai Havertz stunning early strike in Budapest.

And it was the holders PSG who prevailed for a second time in as many seasons, ensuring Arsenal’s quest to be crowned European champions will continue on into next season.

While Nuno Mendes was denied by David Raya, a stuttering Eberechi Eze struck wide from 12 yards before Gabriel fired over the crossbar with a wild effort to confirm the Gunners’ fate.

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There was a rapid turnaround for Mikel Arteta’s squad, who had to catch a 2am flight back from Hungary in order to celebrate their Premier League triumph with supporters at an open-top bus parade on the streets of north London just hours later.

The jubilant scenes in the capital masked any feelings of disappointment that will undoubtedly have been lingering after the club’s hopes of securing a historic went up in smoke.

Questions surrounding Arsenal’s apparent lack of firepower up front have since risen to the surface again, while Thierry Henry was among those to criticise Gabriel’s position in the list of penalty takers on the night.

Gabriel struck Arsenal’s fifth and final spot-kick over the crossbar (Picture: Getty)

Marquinhos was quick to put an arm around his fellow countryman (Picture: Getty)

‘I always say when you go and take the penalty I will always have respect for you,’ the ex-Arsenal and France striker said on CBS Sports.

‘I don’t know why he went, I don’t know how he arrived to be the fifth guy but he went.

‘How he played all season and tonight was immense. But he missed it. But he didn’t hide.’

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Henry’s CBS colleague, Richards, took a similar stance as he looked back on Arsenal’s missed opportunity while speaking with Gary Lineker on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football.

‘When Gabriel stepped up, though… I don’t want to say he looked nervous because you could probably say that about every player that stepped up, but I was wondering what technique he was going to use,’ the former Manchester City and England defender said.

‘So when you’re a defender and you’re approaching a penalty, defenders union and all that, we just say hit it as hard as you can. That’s what we think.

‘When he was running up and taking it, he didn’t look confident, you know? It’s almost like he just wanted to get it over and and done with.

Madueke was introduced in place of Saka in the 83rd minute (Picture: Getty)

‘I can’t remember who was sat next to me who said, “Gabriel’s going to hit this as hard as he possibly can and it’s going to go over the bar”, and that’s exactly what happened as well. You just got a sense and a feeling.

‘But fair play to him for stepping up, he wanted to lead by example, but I would have liked to have seen Madueke take one, a technician.

‘I know it’s easy saying that after the event but that’s why you’ve got the players, they have better technique, they play in forward positions because they have better technique.

‘Even if you’re nervous your probability is higher if your more technical.’

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Though keen not to ‘throw Madueke under the bus’, Richards stressed that a team’s ‘technical players’ should always be nearer the front of the queue in a shootout.

‘That’s not me throwing Madueke under the bus,’ he added.

‘I just think if you’ve got technical players on the pitch then you give yourself a better chance, that’s all.’

Arsenal would not have won the league without Gabriel and Eze, says Rice (Picture: Getty)

In the immediate aftermath of Arsenal’s crushing setback at the Puskas Arena, Declan Rice said both Gabriel and Eze had the full support of the entire squad.

‘They are devastated to miss a penalty in the Champions League final,’ he told reporters.

‘It is not nice. But we love them, we are with them and that happens in football. They are not going to be the last players to miss penalties in finals.

‘Everyone has missed a penalty and without those two this season we wouldn’t have won the Premier League, that is for sure.’

The Arsenal and England midfielder added added: ‘I’ve ran out of words for Gabriel, as a person, as a player.

‘Eze as well. the crucial goals he has come up with this year. It is cruel, but its football.’

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^ ^ Micah Richards urges Arsenal to sign £82m star after Champions League final defeat

Former Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards (Picture: Getty)

Micah Richards believes Arsenal can compete for major trophies for years to come if they strengthen in three areas this summer.

The Gunners held a jubilant trophy parade in north London on Sunday after winning the Premier League for the first since 2004.

Mikel Arteta’s side recorded three successive second-place finishes before finally clinching a long-awaited Premier League title, finishing seven points above Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

The campaign could have been even more successful but Arsenal suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to PSG in the Champions League final.

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Several Arsenal players have vowed to go one better and become European champions next season and Richards believes that is certainly possible with a strong summer transfer window.

‘I think the pressure is off Arsenal a bit now but the recruitment is going to be key because they’ve already got a really good squad,’ he said on The Rest is Football podcast.

Asked which areas the new Premier League champions could look to strengthen in the transfer market, Richards added: ‘I think they need another striker.

Mikel Arteta after Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat (Picture: Getty)

‘Kai Havertz is outstanding in terms of technical ability and Viktor Gyokeres has done well in his first season. But if they could get someone like Julian Alvarez, that would just give Arsenal something different.

‘He’s one of the best strikers in world football going into the World Cup and he’s already won one of those with Argentina.

‘I think they also need another left-winger and another centre midfielder. Bringing in [Christian] Norgaard has worked to a certain degree in terms of his temperament and Myles Lewis-Skelly has shown he can definitely do a job in there.

Atletico Madrid star and Arsenal target Julian Alvarez (Picture: Getty)

‘But to get the best out of someone like [Martin] Zubimendi you need to be a little bit higher so he can get on the ball and dictate the game from there.

‘So maybe they can get someone else in the midfield alongside Rice who is more box to box, more energetic and aggressive.

‘If they get that, a new striker and another winger they can compete for the next two, three, four years now – that’s how good I think they can be.’

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Arsenal are interested in signing Atletico superstar Alvarez, who has enjoyed two impressive seasons in Spain following his £82m move from Manchester City.

Alvarez, who won two league titles at Man City, is valued at around 150m euros (£120m) by Atletico Madrid who are also aware of interest from La Liga champions Barcelona.

Speaking after Arsenal’s first Premier League title win since 2004, Gunners chief Josh Kroenke insisted the club would be active during this summer’s transfer window.

Speaking on NBC, he said: ‘The business never stops. Right now there are already other teams who are trying to strengthen and come at us for next season.

‘We need to be aware of that. We’ve already had a few different conversations about different areas where we think we can improve on and off the pitch.

‘I am looking forward to getting that going this summer but it’s going to be an interesting one because of the World Cup but fortunately everyone is coming to the United States so I don’t have to travel.’

Arsenal and other clubs will be able to sign players once the summer transfer window officially opens on June 15. The window shuts on September 1.

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