A dream died for Arsenal at St James’ Park. They were overwhelmed, intimidated into defeat, looking too callow, too brittle, their squad too slender. But not this year, not this dream, not this Arsenal.
Twelve months ago, their season ground to a halt in Newcastle. Defeat meant they knew their chances of Champions League football were over. Granit Xhaka branded their performance a disaster, said they did not deserve to be on the pitch and suggested they should have stayed at home.
