Despite not playing it was a fantastic weekend for Arsenal.
The crucial three points that Mikel Arteta's side picked up against Wolves in midweek put them in perfect stead to take advantage of the fact that top four rivals West Ham, Manchester United and Tottenham all dropped points in their respective Premier League fixtures against Leicester, Southampton and Wolves.
Elsewhere though there were plenty of other Gunners players in action, with 22 players currently on loan at clubs away from the first team and under-23s all over the globe.
Here, football.london takes a look at how they all got on.
Before moving on to those who did feature, we should start by taking a look at those who didn't get to play this weekend.
Lucas Torreira's Fiorentina side face Spezia on Monday evening, but the Uruguayan will not be taking part after being sent off in last week's 3-0 defeat to Lazio.
Centre backs Harry Clarke and Daniel Ballard both missed out as well as they recover from respective hamstring and knee injuries, while goalkeeper Tom Smith has not played for Welling since dislocating his shoulder in November.
Midfielder Jordan McEneff does not see his League of Ireland season with Shelbourne get going until next weekend when they open the campaign with the visit of St. Patrick's Athletic.
Tim Akinola was an unused sub for Dundee United against Motherwell in the SPL, while Reiss Nelson suffered the same fate in Feyenoord's Eredivisie clash with RKC Waalwijk. It's a frustrating turn of events for Nelson who was just beginning to get a regular run of starts in Holland before he tested positive for COVID-19 providing another bump in the road for his spell on the continent.
In more positive news though right back Jordi Osei-Tutu was able to get his first minutes for new club Rotherham against Sheffield Wednesday after recovering from his latest injury set back. Fellow Hale Ender Tyreece John-Jules did not make the squad for the Owls though.
It was a largely disappointing weekend in terms of results for most of the other Arsenal youngsters on loan.
Ryan Alebiosu's Crewe were defeated 4-1 by Accrington Stanley, while Matt Smith played the full 90 of Doncaster's 4-0 League One loss to Pompey, and Nikolaj Moller completed his first full game for FC Den Bosh in a 2-0 defeat to NAC Breda in the Eerstedivisie.
Brooke Norton Cuffy though had a far more successful weekend, both in a team sense - as his Lincoln side claimed a valuable point against promotion-chasing Wycombe - and in an individual sense too as he was named man of the match by fans on his first start for the Imps.
Flo Balogun also had a brilliant weekend on both fronts. The 20-year-old grabbed a sensational assist for Duncan Watmore's goal during Middlesbrough's 4-1 win over Derby in the Championship as he continues to impress. With Arsenal reportedly on the look out for two strikers this summer when Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah leave, Balogun's impressive performance could well see that target list cut in half.
Moving to those abroad and the Gunners' only January signing Auston Trusty was in action this weekend as the Colorado Rapids played out a 1-1 friendly draw as they continue their pre-season preparations for the upcoming MLS campaign. It's a big week for Trusty, as the Rapids take on Guatemalan side Comunicaciones F.C. in the CONCACAF Champions League round of 16.
Back in Europe it was a good weekend for Matteo Guendouzi and William Saliba who both played the full 90 of Marseille's 2-1 win over FC Metz to give themselves a nine point cushion in the Champions League race.
The same cannot be said for Pablo Mari though, whose Udinese side were on the end of a 4-0 hammering from Hellas Verona in Serie A.
Fellow centre back Dinos Mavropanos also conceded four as Stuttgart slumped to their sixth Bundesliga loss in seven games. Mavropanos' side now find themselves four points adrift from safety in the battle for top flight survival.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles came on as a substitute for Roma in their 2-2 draw with Sassuolo. Much like during his time with Arsenal the England international is yet to truly settle in a position in Jose Mourinho's side, having been used on both the right and the left flank, but not in his preferred central midfield role.
Finally Hector Bellerin played the full 90 in Real Betis' 4-2 win over Levante. The Spaniard was booked in the 59th minute, but will care little as the victory helped boost his boyhood club's chances of finishing in the La Liga top four above Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's Barcelona and qualifying for next season's Champions League.
