Arsenal’s bid for continental glory ended in defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, and Chelsea moved quickly on social media to underscore a longstanding fact: they remain the only London club to have lifted the Champions League.

Arsenal surrendered a 1–0 lead for the second time in their Champions League final history when Ousmane Dembélé converted from the spot. After 120 minutes produced no further goals, the match went to a penalty shootout. Gabriel’s decisive kick sailed over the crossbar, crowning PSG champions and leaving Arsenal’s supporters devastated.

Almost immediately after the final, Chelsea posted on their official account an invitation that doubled as commentary on the result: “Come and visit London’s Home of Trophies. 🏆 Book your Stadium Tour at Stamford Bridge now. ⭐️⭐️”

The club followed that with a shorter line: “Come visit London’s Home of Trophies,” accompanied by images that included a prominent picture of the Champions League trophy. Chelsea have lifted the competition twice, first in 2012 in a penalty shootout against Bayern Munich and again in 2021 when they beat Manchester City in an all-English final. Those victories leave the Blues as the only team from the capital to ever win the Champions League.

Chelsea were not alone in reacting. Crystal Palace, fresh from winning the Conference League earlier in the week, posted a photo of their trophy with the caption: “European Champions.” This season’s European finals featured Premier League teams in all three competitions: Palace in the Conference League, Aston Villa in the Europa League, and Arsenal in the Champions League.

The social-media exchanges highlight contrasts within English football. Arsenal also secured the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years, while Chelsea finished the domestic campaign in 10th and outside the European places. Two months earlier Chelsea had also fallen to Paris Saint-Germain, losing 8–2 on aggregate in the Champions League round of 16.

For Arsenal, reaching the final underlines progress and pain in equal measure. For Chelsea and other London clubs, it provided an opportunity to remind fans of recent continental success.

Over the past weeks a string of public appearances by well known figures has provided an unofficial preview of Chelsea’s 2026-27 home shirt ahead of the club’s official launch on June 2. The jersey, manufactured by Nike, has been pictured on a variety of high-profile outings, giving fans a clear sense of its look before the club releases formal images.

Former U.S. Open champion Justin Rose wore the shirt at the PGA Championship for his opening round, while Brazilian singer songwriter MC Hariel was seen in the short-sleeve version during a performance. Those glimpses highlighted a minimalist approach to the design, with a handful of gold accents and a lion crest that stands alone rather than inside a modern circular badge. Observers also noted a tonal pattern of the Chelsea crest across the front, which becomes more apparent in direct sunlight.

Madonna appeared in the shirt when she met British Kick streamer Gymskin, who helped bring her classic hit ‘Into the Groove’ back up the U.K. charts after a viral video on his social media. Madonna is a known Chelsea supporter and has been spotted in the stands at Stamford Bridge for big clashes in the past. She also has a home base in London, where she met Gymskin.

On a different stage, WWE superstar Chelsea Green arrived on Friday Night SmackDown wearing the same shirt, a reminder of the crossover attention the kit has attracted. The leaked images so far show a jersey without any shirt sponsor.

The unofficial parade of sightings comes as new boss Xabi Alonso prepares to address the problems that affected the club at Stamford Bridge last season. Chelsea failed to qualify for any European competition and face a busy transfer window as part of the wider summer overhaul. The club has confirmed the 2026-27 home shirt will drop on June 2, when official photos are due to feature the side’s biggest stars.

Liverpool confirmed on Saturday that Arne Slot will leave after two seasons in charge. In a brief statement the former Feyenoord manager repeated his gratitude for the opportunity and highlighted the high point of his tenure.

“It’s been an amazing ride together with Liverpool,” Slot said, via Fabrizio Romano . “I am so grateful that we were able to win the league last season.” He referenced Liverpool’s record-tying 20th league title from 2024–25, the undisputed highlight of his time at Anfield.

That title came with strong domestic league numbers: the Reds finished the 2024–25 campaign on 84 points, 10 more than runners-up Arsenal, and suffered only four league defeats. Cup and European results were less consistent across his spell.

In Slot’s first season Liverpool exited the Champions League in the round of 16 to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain, lost the Carabao Cup final to Newcastle United and were eliminated from the FA Cup in the fourth round by Championship side Plymouth Argyle.

The club’s second season saw results deteriorate. Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League, and bowed out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals to Paris Saint-Germain by a 4–0 aggregate scoreline. They also exited the FA Cup in the quarterfinals after a 4–0 defeat to Manchester City and were beaten 3–0 by Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

Despite the run of results, the club appeared prepared to continue its backing of Slot through the season, holding firm rather than dismissing him mid-season and placing faith in Jürgen Klopp’s successor to correct course.

The situation changed after Mohamed Salah posted a sharply worded critique of Slot, the team’s playing style and the club’s condition on social media. When players including Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Hugo Ekitiké, Andy Robertson and Jeremie Frimpong liked the post, the response became a visible, public mutiny on Merseyside.