From Ted Lasso's Jason Sudeikis to Spike Lee: How an Arsenal bar in NYC celebrated the Gunners' first Premier League title since 2004

By the time the match kicked off, the game itself was almost competing with the celebration around it.

There was not much room to watch comfortably, but there was plenty of room for chanting, drinking and rubbing elbows with fellow fans. Special custom bottles were made with proper red labels and the phrase “Bottled It” printed across them, a joke Arsenal supporters were happy to reclaim on their own terms. Jerseys, custom kits and almost every Arsenal shirt imaginable appeared somewhere in the crowd.

The presence of Mamdani, Lee and Sudeikis only added to the surreal feeling. Mamdani entered through a side door about five minutes into the first half, wearing an understated Arsenal scarf. The bar erupted as he walked in, one fellow Gunner joining a packed establishment full of them. Lee, standing nearby, brought some holiday spirit in an Arsenal Christmas sweater.

Then came the song that seemed to carry the whole room:

And it's Arsenal

Arsenal FC

We're by far the greatest team

The world has ever seen

Rain or shine, clear view or terrible one, none of it seemed to matter. Arsenal were champions. Now everyone was just waiting to see them crowned.

The mentality throughout the bar was simple: "Whatever the weather, we won the league."

That held true for the people outside getting soaked to the core and for those inside who were well acquainted with gloomy Sundays as longtime Arsenal fans. The match began in Brooklyn rain, while Selhurst Park looked noticeably sunnier on the screen. Still, the chants continued.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made several changes to his lineup, starting Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke, and both helped give the afternoon a proper coronation feel. Jesus nearly opened the scoring three minutes in, only for a Palace defender to clear the ball off the line. He created more chances before finally scoring in the 41st minute, giving Arsenal a halftime lead and giving the bar another reason to erupt.

The game still had its tense moments. Palace scored in the 88th minute and appeared to equalize again moments later, only for the second goal to be ruled offside. For a few seconds, the celebration briefly turned into familiar Arsenal anxiety.

Then came the relief.

Arsenal held on for a 2-1 win, and while the scoreline was not the point of the day, it still mattered. A title celebration always feels better after a win.

The best part came after the final whistle.

The trophy celebration began inside the bar and quickly spilled into the street. Bottles popped everywhere, including the custom Arsenal-themed bottles, and champagne mixed with the rain as supporters hugged, sang, and tried to take in a moment many had waited most of their lives to see.

It did not matter that the trophy was not lifted at the Emirates, even if that would have been ideal. It did not matter that Arsenal had clinched the title days earlier in an unusual fashion. After waiting since 2004, the details felt secondary.

North London, south London, Brooklyn - wherever it happened, Arsenal had finally done it.

There is still one more massive match ahead. Arsenal now turn toward the Champions League final against PSG in Budapest, where they will have the chance to complete a historic double.

But inside FancyFree, that felt like a conversation for later. Few people seemed ready to think beyond the trophy lift. For one morning, nothing mattered beyond the feeling of watching Arsenal end the wait.

Strangers hugged. Flash tattoos were inked onto arms. Champagne poured. Rain fell. And for a few hours in Brooklyn, a neighborhood bar felt like the center of Arsenal’s world.

Whatever the weather, Arsenal had won.