Just days before he was appointed Arsenal head coach, Mikel Arteta sat in the visiting dugout at Emirates Stadium as part of Manchester City’s backroom staff. The Spaniard left feeling down and with a sense Arsenal had lost their way, such was the mood at the club.

Trailing 1-0 with that familiar feeling of being punished (or punishing themselves) in both penalty areas, Arsenal knew what was at stake. They could feel the jeopardy closing in,