LONDON — Thousands of Arsenal fans put their pain at missing out on European glory to one side as the club celebrated its first Premier League title since 2004 with a parade in London.
Reams of Gunners supporters lined streets in the north of Britain’s capital to watch their heroes show off the Premier League trophy from the upper deck of an open-top bus.
Decked out in the club’s famous red-and-white colours, the fans chanted, cheered, waved flags and set off flares as they revelled in being champions of England for the first time in 22 years.
Some climbed trees, roofs and traffic lights in the hope of catching a glimpse of Mikel Arteta’s side, AFP reported.
Arsenal was confirmed Premier League champions on May 19 when second-placed Manchester City drew at Bournemouth.
They had been hoping for a double celebration by following up the league success with a first Champions League trophy in the club’s 140-year history.
But the English giants suffered heartbreak in Budapest on Saturday by losing on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain as the French club were crowned European champions for the second season running.
Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes missed penalties in the shoot-out after the match finished 1-1 after extra time.
Kai Havertz had fired Arsenal into an early lead before Ousmane Dembele equalised from the spot for the French side in the second half.
Arsenal’s Premier League title came after the club finished runners-up in the league for the previous three seasons.
The parade started shortly after 2:00 pm (13:00 GMT) and was due to take two hours to complete a nine-kilometre (5.6-mile) route close to the club’s Emirates stadium in the area of Islington.
Four buses formed part of the celebration, including one carrying Arsenal Women, who won the inaugural Women’s Champions Cup in February.
