After his Manchester City team passed their test away at Tottenham, goalkeeper Ederson shared a raft of messages purported to be from Arsenal supporters.
City travelled to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday needing victory to return to the top of the Premier League table ahead of the final round of fixtures. Anything less would have given Arsenal the edge going into the closing games.
Ahead of the game, there were reports of Ederson's personal phone number being leaked. And, in an Instagram story posted in the early hours of Wednesday morning, he shared what appeared to be a succession of messages from Arsenal supporters.
"Hurry up and change the number," warned one, with others attempting to distract the keeper while showing their support for the Gunners. It didn't work, though, with Ederson waiting until after his team's victory was secured before sharing a screenshot.
While City won 2-0, Ederson wasn't involved for the whole 90 minutes. He was injured in a collision with Cristian Romero early in the second half, with Stefan Ortega finishing the game in goal.
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It was the fourth time this season City have been forced into a goalkeeper change mid-game. Ortega earned his keep, though, making some big saves - including a one-on-one stop from Son Heung-min - to keep his team in front before Erling Haaland scored his second of the game to clinch a 2-0 win.
The result leaves City two points clear of Arsenal ahead of the final round of fixtures. Ederson and his team-mates host mid-table West Ham, while Arsenal welcome Everton - now safe from relegation danger - to the Emirates Stadium.
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Ederson's Instagram story appeared to share messages from Arsenal supporters
The goalkeeper was forced off early in City's win at Tottenham (Getty Images)City also lost Kevin De Bruyne to injury during Tuesday's win. However, manager Pep Guardiola didn't rule either him or Ederson out of making a return against West Ham.
"Kevin has a problem with his ankle. Ederson has a kick in the eye and it’s swollen," Guardiola said. "He couldn’t see properly. The doctor said I had to replace him. When the doctors say that I don’t have an alternative."
Match-winner Haaland hailed both keepers after the victory. “Ederson was fantastic today and Ortega was Man of the Match," he said. "What can I say? He’s incredible and such a good guy as well so I’m happy for him.”
Three more points against West Ham will seal the deal. While the Hammers haven't won at the Etihad Stadium since 2015, a 2-2 draw in May 2022 threatened to derail that season's title bid, and Guardiola isn't getting ahead of himself.
“The most famous goal of our club, Sergio Aguero scored 93:20 against QPR, we were 1-2 down after 90 minutes more or less," Guardiola said. "Now it’s against Michail Antonio and James Ward-Prowse, set-pieces and channels and think about it and focus perfectly. We have to win one more game to retain the title."
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