Everything that Arsenal had poured into a hugely impressive Champions League campaign came down to this. It was not about more plaudits, more pride. It was purely about taking the next step, moving to the verge of history. On an increasingly frenzied night, when the ghosts of previous near misses under Mikel Arteta provided a part of the story, they made surely the boldest advance so far under their manager.
When it was over, Arteta led the wildest of celebrations, the emotions spilling everywhere, the party set to rage long into the night. But it was the prospect of what lay ahead in the final against Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich that tantalised. No club has played more European Cup or Champions League games than Arsenal without winning the trophy. Could the longest of waits be about to end?
