Sky Sports had to issue an apology after Erling Haaland swore live on television during Manchester City’s title celebrations.
Pep Guardiola’s team were given the Premier League trophy after winning their fifth title in six years, with Arsenal’s defeat by Nottingham Forest on Saturday confirming they had retained their crown for a third successive season.
Players were celebrating on the pitch with a number of stars giving live interviews to Sky’s punditry team pitchside.
But Jack Grealish’s interview took an unexpected turn when Norwegian striker Haaland came into the shot to scream “I f—ing love you, you know that” to the England winger before returning to join in the celebrations.
Presenter Dave Jones immediately apologised for the incident, although it is not the first time Haaland has sworn live on television. The former Borussia Dortmund frontman accidentally swore twice in an interview after his first Premier League game for City, at West Ham.
Haaland also conducted an interview of his own with Geoff Shreeves, breaking off part of the way through to enjoy a celebratory dance with the City fans.
City had got the party started with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea, sealed by Julian Alvarez’s early strike. Guardiola’s side have been utterly dominant in the latter stages of the season, winning 12 successive Premier League games to overhaul Arsenal.
And they now have the chance to win the Treble, with the club facing Manchester United in the FA Cup final and Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
Winning the Treble would crown an incredible first season in English football for Haaland, with the Norwegian breaking all manner of goals coring records.
The 22-year-old has scored 52 goals for City, smashing the record for most goals in a Premier League season – although the forward looks unlikely to break Dixie Dean’s tally for the most ever in English football.
Manchester City players believe the Treble will confirm them as one of the Premier League’s greatest teams after lifting the title at the Etihad Stadium in front of their jubilant supporters.
Guardiola’s team sealed the first leg of their possible Treble on Saturday night without kicking a ball following Arsenal’s defeat at Nottingham Forest, then extended their lead at the summit with victory over Chelsea courtesy of Julián Álvarez’s winner.
“We will celebrate and then move on to try and create history,” said City full-back Kyle Walker. “The treble would be fantastic, but there is a lot of football to be played. Rest assured, we are not finished. We have the FA Cup against our bitter rivals and then the Champions League.
“To say we are up there with one of the greatest Premier League teams of all time we have to conquer some of that. To go and achieve that, we could then start talking about being one of the greatest teams in the Premier League.”
Guardiola insisted afterward the world knows the magnitude of winning five titles in six seasons. But he also warned his team to be mentally ready for the final of the FA Cup and Champions League.
After finishing the Premier League season next weekend, City will face rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final on June 3, followed by Inter Milan in the Champions League final a week later, with the prospect of becoming the first British team to complete a European treble since United in 1999.
They clawed back Arsenal after they held an eight-point lead at the top of the table in April before dropping points while City kept winning. Walker pinpointed the victory over Liverpool, on April 1, as the moment City players believed they could catch Mikel Arteta’s team.
Fans invaded the Etihad pitch after the final whistle of the victory over Chelsea, with stewards clearing the playing surface for the trophy ceremony, which was attended by Premier League chief executive Richard Masters. Former City goalkeeper Alex Williams presented them with the trophy after players had briefly returned to the dressing room for a sing-along with kitman Brandon Ashton.
“We don’t need one or two decades to pass before thinking about how good this was,” said Guardiola. “We have the feeling we have done something exceptional in terms of the Premier League but of course to be considered one of the greatest in Europe we have to win the Champions League, otherwise people will say our time here is not complete.
“If we cannot do it, it would not be fair to say it’s not extraordinary that what we have done with five Premier Leagues in six. In world football, all managers in the Premier League, the players, sporting directors and clubs, they know how exceptional it is.”
City face Brighton in midweek and Guardiola has warned his players they must be mentally ready for their cup finals, rather than celebrating the Premier League for days.
“The players have to celebrate but it’s time to rest mentally for the finals but we have to play two more games and try to be ready,” he said. “I have the feeling we are a little tired and it’s been a long road. There’s a tendency to think it’s done but hopefully it can pass quickly and then we can have seven or eight days to prepare for Brentford and Brighton.”
Kalvin Phillips was given his first Premier League start for City and says Guardiola will be hailed as the best manager in the history of football if he can mastermind a treble in the next three weeks.
“Pep has won so much in his career and if he can lead us to this treble he will be a happy man and will go down as the greatest manager in the world. I don’t just want to win it for myself but also for him,” said Phillips, who admitted being out of the team has been the lowest time of his career.
“It’s been unbelievably tough, probably the lowest points confidence-wise in my career but the surrounding leaders have kept me going and told me I would get my chance and luckily it did and I’m lucky I have got the surrounding guys to keep pushing me and working me as hard as possible.”
Guardiola was able to use his second-string players, including Phillips, and save legs for the FA Cup final, with 52-goal striker Haaland brought on as a sub in the second half. “I feel unreal, I don’t know what to say, it’s just unreal, I’m so happy,” said Haaland after winning the title in his first season in England. “These are memories I will remember for the rest of my life, we have been fighting so hard.
“Debut season, 36 goals so far, a Premier League trophy, and two finals left, not a bad start. It’s special, I’m just going to enjoy this day, it’s a special moment with this trophy with these fans and the whole club.”