Lifelong Arsenal fan buried in Chelsea kit and even the priest is confused

An unfortunate mix-up led to a dedicated Arsenal supporter being buried wearing an old Chelsea shirt, leaving the priest confused while those in attendance couldn't help but see the funny side.

A funeral procession could not overlook the irony to avoid a wry smile as they paid their respects to a lifelong Arsenal fan - who was buried in a Chelsea kit by mistake.

Despite the sad occasion, there was a slice of gallows humour in the air at the ceremony for the dedicated Gunners supporter, who due to an unfortunate mix-up, was laid to rest in his coffin wearing the shirt of their London rivals.

As his niece Linda Daly, who is also reporter for the Irish Sunday Times, explained on Twitter: "My uncle David, a lifelong Arsenal fan, died on Saturday. As a nod to his beloved team, we decided to bury him in a Gunners jersey.

"His gf carefully selected the least-worn top from his collection. Today, we arrived at the funeral home. David is being buried in a Chelsea jersey.

"In her defence, it was an away Chelsea jersey from about 2003 - when Emirates was their sponsor. Someone must have bought it for him as a joke.

"Apparently, they can't change him now. But honestly, this turned a very sad situation into a hilarious one today."

Despite the mix-up, Ms Daly admitted those in attendance saw the amusing side. "It was so funny," she responded to one of the comments on her post. "Even when the priest came in and asked with confusion 'was he not an Arsenal fan?', we all cracked up. Poor David will be turning in his grave."

Arsenal are currently enjoying a much more fruitful period on the field than Chelsea, as the Gunners currently top the Premier League table with a two-point gap over Manchester City in second, while also boasting a game in hand.

Meanwhile Chelsea are floundering in mid-table - a whole 23 points behind Arsenal, who won the last meeting between the sides 1-0 back in November. Their next encounter could prove pivotal to the title race as they clash five games before the season finish at the Emirates Stadium on April 29.