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.
