It’s the hope that kills you and to that end, Arsenal had Dejan Kulusevski to half-thank for polishing off their top four hopes, which had been on life support since Monday night’s defeat to Newcastle, little more than a quarter-of an hour into the final day of this Premier League campaign.
News of the Tottenham winger’s early goal at Norwich all-but confirmed what even the most optimistic Arsenal fan had considered nigh-on inevitable in terms of the race for the Champions League, and briefly flattened what had been a buoyant atmosphere at the Emirates for the Gunners’ final game of a season that has been one of marked progress, for all its disheartening ending.
Alex Iwobi’s handball from Gabriel Martinelli’s strike - the VAR’s penalty award met with a chorus of “he’s one of our own” - cheered things up, the Brazilian converting himself from the spot to set the hosts on their way to what ended up about as enjoyable an afternoon as they could have hoped for, excepting the long-shot prospect of a miracle at Carrow Road.
It included what could prove a farewell goal for academy graduate Eddie Nketiah, his fifth of a late-season flurry that has left more debate over his possible departure than had seemed likely a couple of months ago, and a more certain goodbye to Alexandre Lacazette, who is also out of contract and replaced his fellow striker for a final cameo.
There was a final day feel to the scoresheet as unlikely lads Gabriel and Cedric Soares got in on the act in the second half, before the home crowd were afforded chance to show their appreciation for Martin Odegaard, whose talents perhaps remain under-valued beyond these walls, as the Norwegian fittingly finished a 5-1 rout.
There were ovations, too, for two of the campaign’s most consistent performers as they were substituted, Bukayo Saka, unsurprisingly, and Granit Xhaka, rather more so.
Saka’s final league appearance of the campaign made him the only Arsenal player to have featured in all 38 games and he almost capped it with a goal that would have been typical of the resilience and brilliance he has shown all season, brought down in the middle of the park one moment, running in on goal the next, only to slide just past Asmir Begovic’s far post.
It would have been more poetic - and more popular - had he been replaced by Emile Smith Rowe when his number was up, but instead Mikel Arteta handed a sentimental appearance to Nicolas Pepe, whose contract is not up, but whose time at the club may be anyway. The home crowd had to wait for the now-customary burst of Status Quo at full-time to pay homage to the second of their Hale End heroes.
Before that, they had even been blessed a pantomime villain in Dele Alli, damningly making his first Toffees starts since an ill-fated January move from Tottenham. He trotted off 25 minutes from time to boos and jeers having made no impact whatsoever, his underwhelming, petulant performance evidence of why for all Tottenham are on their way back to the Champions League, he is not.
Dele’s inclusion was one of six changes made by Frank Lampard to the side that had secured survival against Crystal Palace, Jordan Pickford and Richarlison among those left out of a team selection that confirmed Everton’s season had effectively ended at Goodison Park on Thursday night.
By the time Donny van de Beek tapped home Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s cross with the final kick of the first half to bring them undeservedly back into contention at 2-1, Harry Kane had doubled Spurs’ lead at Norwich and news of goals at the Etihad, Anfield and Turf Moor had made very clear the story of the final day lay elsewhere.
And perhaps that was just as well - given the way they faltered under pressure in the north London derby and at Newcastle, one can only imagine what the untimely concession might have done for Arsenal nerves had there still been more at stake.
Instead, things continued in something of a carnival of defiance as the goals flew in both here and in East Anglia, the most vocal section of the home support located in the Clock End, just rows apart from the travellers, who were taking all sorts of solace from events at Manchester City as their comeback denied Liverpool the title.
Arsenal remain miles off competing for that prize, and as it turned out, two points shy of being good enough to return to the Champions League as well.
But for all the damage done in the last fortnight, for all the sense of missed opportunity their season did not deserve to finish on a solely duff note. Scant consolation it may be, but this was a more fitting end.
