MATCHDAY STORY / 6 SEPTEMBER 2026
North London.
Good company.
Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea. A title still fresh in the memory. And one of those days when the people beside you make the result even better.
See the moment ↓A MOMENT FROM OUTSIDE THE EMIRATES
Two friends, one very good reason to grin.
The camera catches my friend Cornitto Tiger and me amid the supporters outside the Emirates. The confidence is real; the result made it sweeter. It is a tiny clip, but it holds the colour and noise of being there far better than a box score can.
We had come through the same AI and Data Science Specialist MSc cohort at Northeastern University London. We stayed close during the programme and after it ended. Finding ourselves together at an Arsenal–Chelsea home match felt like two parts of my life shaking hands: the friend from the learning journey and the shared language of football.
In the clip, the two friends smile and speak excitedly to the camera in a crowd of supporters. A large Arsenal welcome sign fills the background.
IN THE STANDS / 6 SEPTEMBER 2026
After the noise, a photograph.
Cornitto and I found a moment for a photo inside the Emirates. Two members of the same AI and Data Science cohort, now wearing the same colours. The view behind us makes a rather convincing case for keeping in touch after a master’s programme.
AFTER THE 2025–26 TITLE
The good feeling had somewhere to go.
Arsenal’s 2025–26 Premier League championship gave the new season a different kind of expectation. Chelsea went ahead early in this September meeting; Arsenal recovered to win 2–1 at home. I remember the match as part of that confident, collective mood: the familiar excitement, the knowing looks, the pleasure of having someone beside you who gets why it matters.
For all my affection for performance data, nobody needs a model to explain the value of that moment. A result can be checked; the friendship and belonging are why the day stays with me.
THE BROTHERHOOD AROUND THE GAME
Classmates first. Still mates after the final whistle.
A demanding MSc gave us plenty to talk about: techniques, projects, what AI could do, and what it probably shouldn’t pretend to do. The friendship was never limited to the coursework. We kept in touch after completing the programme, and a matchday like this is a reminder that the best part of a cohort can be the people who remain in your life once the deadlines are behind you.
That same sense of company runs through my Sunday football story too. At Chelsfield, Mark’s stats tell one part of the tale. At the Emirates, this video tells another. Football is a way of showing up together, laughing together and, on a day like this, walking away rather pleased with ourselves.
Back to Sunday football & the data lab ↗