Arsenal fans turn streets red for victory parade

Arsenal paraded the Premier League trophy along a roughly five-mile route in north London on open-top buses [TOLGA AKMEN/EPA/Shutterstock]Hundreds of thousands of Arsenal fans filled north London's streets for a jubilant celebration of the club's first Premier League title in 22 years.

>Proudly displaying the coveted trophy, the players waved to the crowds from open-top buses as the Gunners travelled a five-mile loop through Islington, circling Emirates Stadium.

>They were joined by the women's team, who lifted the first-ever Fifa Women's Champions Cup earlier in the season.

>The victory parade comes a day after the men's team lost a nail-biting Champions League final against Paris St-Germain in a penalty shootout in Budapest.

The air seemed to turn red but the Gunners' fans were anything but angry as they cheered their heroes [EPA]Crowds of fans were reaching their arms out towards buses as they travelled along the parade route.

>Flags were waving with the players hyping up the crowd, occasionally throwing Arsenal scarves out towards the fans.

>Fireworks could be heard along with the deafening sound of the vuvuzelas.

>Joe, who attended the parade with his young son Trey, told the BBC: "We've been knocking on the door for the last four seasons and we've finally done it. I'm so excited."

Joe and his son Trey got front-row spots for Sunday's parade [BBC]Following the team's European near-miss on Saturday, Trey added: "In the late 2010s, they weren't in the best form, they weren't finishing in the top... six every season. So, it was a struggle.

>"But now, since 2022, we've been finishing in the Champions League spots.

>"It feels surreal to come up against such a good team with PSG."

Theresa, pictured with her family, was among fans celebrating in north London [BBC]Another fan out celebrating was Theresa, who was born streets away from Arsenal's home ground.

>She told the BBC: "You could say I've been a fan since I was born."

>While she did see Arsenal win the trophy two decades years ago, she said: "it has been a long time since Arsenal has had anything to scream and roar about".

Fans used flares to fill the air with red smoke to match the Arsenal's team colour [EPA]Michael and Teju were also enjoying the parade. Michael said he'd been "an Arsenal fan since [Thierry Henry] - and Teju as my partner is one by default".

>He said the club's win was "a dream come true", adding "it's only up from here. I'm over the moon."

>He said his favourite player at the moment was Myles Lewis-Skelly.

>Teju said she supported Bukayo Saka - and his partner Tolami Benson, whose outfits she admires.

Michael and Teju were part of the celebrations on Sunday [BBC]Another fan told the BBC: "I had to be here because I waited 22 years for this."

>He said he was only nine years old when Arsenal last won this trophy in the legendary Invincibles season - where they did not lose a single league game.

>He said the parade on Sunday was "one of the best days of [his] life".

>The Metropolitan Police called the parade one of its largest policing operations of the year, deploying more than 500 officers alongside specialist search and drone teams, with a dispersal zone to deter anti-social behaviour, there was little disturbance amongst the large crowds.

>However, the fire service issued warnings to fans after a stray flare caused a small fire at a hotel and about 75 people were rescued "from incidents at height".

>Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne, who the strategic event commander for London Fire Brigade, said: "Fortunately, the fire caused only a small amount of damage to the exterior of the building. Pyrotechnics are also believed to have triggered the fire alarms at several other locations in the area.

>"As supporters head home, we would urge them to avoid using pyrotechnics, particularly at stations, and to keep them away from buildings and other flammable materials."

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