As full-time approached, a rainbow appeared directly above the corner populated by Arsenal’s travelling contingent. Their club is a step closer to the pot of gold that has eluded it for 19 years and the unusual facet of this narrow win was its sheer mundanity. Nobody could argue with the outcome but nor could they expect to be reeling this from the list of memorable afternoons if Mikel Arteta and his players get over the line in May.
While the away fans were bathed in colour, they were surrounded by pockets of empty blue seats long before the end. Leicester put in a show of basic defensive doggedness but little more: they offered virtually nothing in attack and at no stage did a venue that once jubilated in glorious overachievement show any belief in a comeback. They had one shot in the entire game, a long-range effort from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall that flew wide in the 72nd minute, and Arsenal could depart having operated well within themselves.
