Wes Morgan

Leicester stars say Arsenal players' selfies motivated them to win title

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:39 p.m. ET

Aaron West

Leicester City pulled off one of the most improbable wins in English Premier League history when they lifted the trophy last year, but it was their defeat to Arsenal in February that provided them with the final spark to win it all.

The Foxes visited Arsenal on February 10th, sitting on top of the table with Arsenal in hot pursuit, five points off them in third place. Danny Welbeck's late goal gave Arsenal a 2-1 win after the Foxes played nearly the entire second half down a man, but the way the Gooners responded after the victory didn't sit well with their opponents.

“For me the key point was when we lost to Arsenal. Everyone was celebrating, they were doing selfies," Robert Huth said in Jonathan Norcroft's book, ’Fearless: The Amazing Underdog Story of Leicester City, the Greatest Miracle in Sports History’.

"Even though we were still top. A few of the lads stuck a few [of Arsenal’s] pictures up and it got the blood boiling. It gave us an extra yard in the next few games."

Captain Wes Morgan said, “We had 10 men for the best part of the second half and for them to only score in the last minute and then celebrate how they did … it proved how good we are.”

It seems like they really took those selfies to heart, too. After the Arsenal loss, Leicester went on to win eight matches, record three draws, and, of course, win the league.

Says Kasper Schmeichel: “I mean, come on. It was our third defeat of the season. Three defeats all season? That was amazing. I felt that we had been resilient. That it didn’t matter about the result. Eleven versus eleven — we were comfortable. They hadn’t had a shot on target at that point. Even with 10 men, we were comfortable.

"Losing the game in the way we did? Seeing Arsenal celebrate as if they had basically won the league against us: that a victory against us could mean so much to them? It really showed how far we’d come. Watching them [celebrate], for me, was actually a boost.

“Social media is dangerous. Very dangerous.”

Indeed it is.

This might be the year for everyone to keep off the 'gram and hold the selfies for the off-season.

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