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Sir Alex Ferguson is no stranger to a guard of honour(Image: Max Mumby/Indigo, Getty Images)

Arsenal will have a bitter pill to swallow by giving Liverpool a guard of honour at Anfield, as the Reds pipped the Gunners to the Premier League title.

The long-standing custom, which has seen figures like Sir Alex Ferguson show such respect, is granted to title winners.

But as Arsenal have chased Liverpool for the title for the entirety of the season, only to come up short at the final hurdle, fans may not be entirely keen on the display.

Out of reach for the top spot since Liverpool's 5-1 thrashing of Spurs at Anfield late last month, Arsenal can only hope for a runners-up spot for 2024/25.

But with just three points separating them from third-place Manchester City and with three games remaining, Mikel Arteta's men still have their work cut out for them.

While the squad may wish to hone in on the task at hand instead of giving Liverpool their dues with a guard of honour, Brendan Rodgers has recalled how Ferguson once had to put his pride aside and do the same with Chelsea during his Manchester United days.

The Red Devils famously gave Jose Mourinho's Chelsea the honour in 2005, when the 'Special One' engineered a remarkable Premier League win, reports the Mirror.

Article continues belowThe guard of honour is a tradition

Rodgers, who was a coach at Chelsea at the time, said that receiving a guard of honour at Old Trafford left a lasting impression on him, and he believes that it was Ferguson who initiated the decision.

He also insisted that it can serve as a powerful motivator for the runners-up in future seasons.

He said: "I can never forget when I was at Chelsea as a young coach and, in that first season that Jose was in, they won the title.

"I remember going to Old Trafford to watch the game that evening and I'm sure the Man United players didn't want to do it but I'm sure Fergie insisted they did it.

"That must have been really, really difficult but it showed you the class of Sir Alex and it showed you the humility of him that another competitor came in and took the title, but it was also sporting that they did that, but also can provide you with great motivation going forward."

While giving a guard of honour isn't a rule, it is more of a class-act tradition to show respect for the title winners, even though there have been instances of reluctant participants - sometimes because they're direct rivals or the previous champs.

Arsenal will find themselves lining up once more for the tribute on Sunday when they travel to Anfield to face Arne Slot's Liverpool.

And it could bring back flashbacks of the 2019/20 season, in which, Jurgen Klopp guided the Reds to their first Premier League title since the reformatting of the English top flight in 1992.

While Liverpool will see their three remaining games with Arsenal, Brighton and Crystal Palace as a victory lap, it's a different story for the Gunners.

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Arteta will have to get the better of the Reds, Newcastle United, and Southampton, should he hope to secure his second-place finish - while Pep Guardiola's Manchester City breathe heavily down his neck.


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