Mikel Arteta reveals what he said to Pep Guardiola on call after Man City beat Arsenal to Premier League title

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed what he told his counterpart Pep Guardiola after Manchester City won the Premier League title last weekend.

City's third successive Premier League crown was confirmed after Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

It had been a two-horse race for the title up to that point - one which the Gunners led for a total of 248 days.

But their form fell away towards the end of the campaign, and a 4-1 win for Guardiola's City over their title rivals at the Etihad Stadium firmly swung the pendulum into their favour.

Arsenal responded to that setback with back-to-back wins over Chelsea and Newcastle, but they were still reliant on City slipping up.

That did not happen, and a 3-0 home defeat to Brighton for Arteta and his side effectively ended their title challenge with two games left to play.

Even a win over Forest would not have kept Arsenal in the race, as City's 1-0 win over Chelsea a day later would have confirmed their third consecutive Premier League success regardless.

Now, Arteta has revealed how he responded to his counterpart's achievement.

Arteta reveals Guardiola call

The two Spaniards were previously alongside each other at the Etihad Stadium, with Arteta working as a first team coach under Guardiola.

He elected to leave City in December 2019 to become Arsenal boss, and it hasn't been until this campaign where he has been an on-pitch rival to the ex-Barcelona boss in the context of the Premier League title race.

Despite the disappointment of being unable to win this season's crown, Arteta still made sure to privately and publicly acknowledge Guardiola and his accomplishment.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he explained: "For sure, I called him to congratulate him, him and his staff, because people maybe think that things happen and they are granted for them. They have to work so hard for them.

"I know all the hours they put in, how much they suffer and how much they have to think and think, and try to promote always that winning mentality that they are doing.

"At the end, you have to say congratulations. It is a sport. He's a really good friend of mine. It's not only that I respect him, but I admire him as a person and as a professional.

"When you haven't reached [your goal], you have to take a lot of positive things that we have done in the season and how far we have come. And for sure, some learnings as well to be better."