How Arteta ended up bleeding after a bottle was thrown in the 2017 Manchester Derby dressing room brawl

Mikel Arteta was left bleeding from a cut after being struck by a plastic bottle in a dressing room altercation at Old Trafford in December 2017, during his time as an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

The incident followed City’s 2-1 victory over Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United — their 14th consecutive league win — with goals from David Silva and Nicolas Otamendi. The trouble reportedly began when City’s post-match celebrations, which included ticker tape and loud music inside the away dressing room, angered United staff and players.

Mourinho was said to have confronted City’s contingent over what he considered a lack of respect, and the situation quickly escalated. The United manager was reportedly sprayed with water, while a carton of milk was thrown in his direction, missing him but striking another United staff member. Arteta was caught in the crossfire, hit by a plastic bottle that opened a cut on his head. The identity of the thrower was never confirmed.

Despite the dramatic scenes, reports at the time indicated the confrontation did not involve punches and calmed down relatively quickly, with players from both sides soon talking normally. The clubs confirmed no physical fighting took place.

Mourinho was measured in his post-match press conference, drawing a pointed comparison to United’s own behaviour after winning at Arsenal the previous week. “What we did in the Arsenal stadium, you know? It was completely diverse,” he said. “What we did, what happened after that match, the way we behaved as winners.”

Guardiola addressed the matter directly, offering a conditional apology while defending his players’ right to celebrate. “What happened in the locker room happened. Hopefully it is never going to happen again,” he said. “If we were not correct then I apologise to Manchester United. But our intention was not that — it was to celebrate inside the locker room.” He also confirmed he was the one who encouraged the players to mark the victory.

The fallout did nothing to derail City’s historic campaign. They won their next four Premier League games, scoring 13 goals in the process, on their way to a then-record points total that season. Arteta, now the Arsenal manager, has since spoken little publicly about the episode.