Vindication and victory almost came cloaked in perfection for Mikel Arteta. Almost, because as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang trotted off in the 63rd minute after an utterly ineffectual display in a reunion with the club who rejected him, Gabriel had just put Arsenal ahead. It was Gabriel Magalhaes, admittedly, and not Gabriel Jesus, the anti-Aubameyang, the belated replacement for the man Arsenal exiled to Barcelona only to see him reappear in London.
But it was, as their fans sang, one-nil to The Arsenal. There was another scoreline, less significant but nonetheless revealing of Arteta’s ethos: 37-8. Jesus had mustered 37 touches by the time the other No 9 departed, Aubameyang just eight. It was the fewest on the pitch and if that is unsurprising – he comes from the breed of forward who lingers on the fringes of games, whereas the hyperactive Jesus prefers a greater level of involvement – he took anonymity to new levels.
