Where there had once been rage, now there were only rays of sunshine. Mikel Arteta had been apoplectic in November when Arsenal slipped to a narrow defeat at St James’ Park, barely able to express his disbelief at the VAR decisions that had influenced the outcome.
This fixture had enough spice in its recent history to suggest fireworks and Arteta had made a point of asking the Emirates choirs to hit new decibel levels. His team struck a perfect pitch of their own and, assuming this is to be a three-way title race until the end, they show no sign of being the spare wheel.
