It is what is called getting your substitutions right. As Mikel Arteta luxuriated in his first league win against Manchester City as a manager, one to enhance seriously the title prospects of his Arsenal team, to fortify their belief, he could reflect on how his stars had aligned after a triple change on 76 minutes.
For so long, it had looked as though it could be another refereeing story. Nobody knows how this showpiece would have panned out if Mateo Kovacic had been sent off in the 35th minute. But Arsenal would have liked to find out.
