Arsenal and England favourite Chloe Kelly has come under fire for what fans are calling “strange behaviour” during and after her return to former club Manchester City in the Women’s Super League on Saturday afternoon. The rift between the Lionesses star – who scored the winning goals in England’s two European Championship triumphs in 2020 and 2025 – and the Cityzens has been no secret in recent months.
On the verge of quitting football altogether after her mental health suffered under Gareth Taylor’s management at City just last a little under 12 months ago, Kelly’s move to Arsenal breathed new life into her career. Playing with a smile on her face again, she helped the Gunners lift the Champions League and went on to finish fifth in this year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Kelly’s career has never been short of iconic moments, from match-winning performances to the time she swore live on daytime television during the Lionesses’ victory parade. But as the 2025/26 season gets underway, what was once seen as her charmingly unfiltered personality now seems to be losing its shine with rival supporters. Her antics during Saturday’s 3-2 defeat – one that left Renee Slegers’ side five points adrift of leaders Chelsea – is perhaps the strongest case in point.
Kelly Irks Viewers With ‘Strange Behaviour’ Against Man City
There should be no mistake made about the fact that the vast majority of English football supporters are over the moon for Kelly after she has learnt to enjoy her football again. But after her antics at the Joie Stadium on Saturday afternoon, it certainly raised some questions about whether the 27-year-old has now taken her zero-to-hero redemption arc a bit too far.
Although she scored, she was on the losing side in the end, and one particular moment that has stood out to viewers is when she went through the back of former teammate Leila Ouahabi before then tapping the Arsenal badge. Reacting to the incident (watch below), one supporter remarked on X:
“Why is she badge tapping after fouling her former teammate? Absolute disgusting behaviour.”
Another X user added: “All for a bit of s***housery, but this is just weird,” while a third wrote: “She’s so cringe and childish.” In retrospect, the full-time whistle – which marked Arsenal’s third failure to take all three points in five league games – should have been the moment for Kelly to draw a line under her attempts to get one over on her former employers.
Instead, her refusal to let things lie carried on long after the final whistle. A Manchester City women’s updates page posted a picture of Kelly tapping the Arsenal badge with the caption: “What’s the score, Chloe?” – to which the winger hit back by replying with a photo of her lifting the Champions League trophy at the end of last season. See the interaction below:
“No sportsmanship, no respect. Just a clown,” the criticism from disgruntled onlookers continued. Elsewhere, another wrote: “Weird and embarrassing behaviour,” as a fifth X user concluded: “Strange behaviour from a strange person, not surprised.”