A clip from Arsenal’s win over Tottenham went viral. The only problem? It was faked

What do a fake goal-animation video and the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle have in common?

More than you might think.

In the 64th minute of Arsenal's trip to bitter local rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Gabriel sent the pocket of away fans into delirium. His header, from another well-worked Arsenal corner routine, was the decisive moment in an otherwise tense north London derby.

The goal was greeted by mass celebrations on and offline. Amid the delight on social media, one supporter dropped a readily prepared graphic, almost immediately after the ball hit the net, which quickly went viral.

It showed Arsenal's Premier League 'goal' animation, on a broadcasters' score graphic, shooting Tottenham's cockerel, as featured on their club badge, with a 19th-century style artillery gun – the Arsenal equivalent, with their crest's cannon. It left the cockerel burnt, and the word 'GOAL' and the phrase 'NL (North London) is red' appeared.

It was well-timed. Such goal animations a new thing this year. The Premier League have introduced them this season for every club.

But unsurprisingly, and sorry to spoil anyone's fun with some Grinch-like fact-checking, this viral animation was not official.

It did, though, appear to trick many, including Arsenal great Ian Wright, who reposted it on Instagram that evening. As an Arsenal fan and ex-player, it must be hard to resist another pop at Spurs, whether genuine or not.

Each team have an emblem or icon that is associated with them.

Arsenal's one does include use of their cannon when the ball hits the opposition net, but in the official version it fires out the word 'goal', rather than obliterating a Spurs cockerel. Tottenham for their part, see the letter 'o' in 'goal' replaced by the football that is part of their badge. Other examples include a seagull flying across the animation when Brighton score (they are known as the Seagulls), and a fox tail swishing for a Leicester goal (Leicester are nicknamed the Foxes).

The designs were created by Premier League Productions, with the initial process to introduce them beginning back in the spring. The company worked with a design agency and went through 10 rounds of briefings and revisions before signing off on the designs at the end of July.

They are used on the Premier League's international broadcast feeds, with the aim of offering partners around the world something innovative. They will be visible throughout the season.

To be clear, though, there are just 20 animations, and no game-tailored editions. Not yet, anyway...

(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/)