The Manchester United fans couldn’t quite believe what they were hearing. There were double-takes all around, but it was happening: the Arsenal away supporters bounced and sang: “Here we goooo, Lotte and Lessi Russo!” The song United fans had sung to the tune of Rockin’ All Over the World for two of their favourites – diehard United supporters Ella Toone and Alessia Russo – was being sung by one of their biggest rivals. “How dare theys” were etched across faces in the crowd. Now, it is the Arsenal duo Lotte Wubben-Moy and Russo whose names are in the song, a playful teasing of United fans, after the Gunners’ recruitment of Russo in the summer on the expiry of her contract.
“I didn’t even know that,” says Russo, a half-sheepish, half-embarrassed smile on her face. Sitting in a red leather chair at Arsenal’s training ground before their top-of-the-table clash against Chelsea, with more than 57,000 tickets sold for the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, she adds: “When you’re in the game, you don’t really feel the banter between fans as much.”
