As Manuel Neuer lunged for a ball that he was never going to reach, the pitch opened out in front of Gabriel Martinelli. All there was between him and the goal was the green of the Emirates pitch.
As he steamed through, it was unquestionable that he would wrap up Arsenal’s victory over Bayern Munich.
It was their 16th win of the season. The Champions League match had been billed as a meeting between two of the best sides in Europe, but from the evidence of that game, only one team are worthy of that mantle.
Just as the space opened up for Martinelli, so the season is opening up for Arsenal. They sit clear at the top of the Premier League, which Opta currently gives them an 76% chance of winning. The data providers also have them as favourites for the Champions League. The narrative is clear: this is Arsenal’s to lose. It is a major shift for a team who are better accustomed to the near miss.
Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have only a solitary FA Cup trophy, won in his first season in 2020, to show for their time together.
In the years since, nine different English sides have won at least one major trophy. Amuse yourself for a couple of minutes today by naming them all (answers at the end).
Arsenal have finished second in the Premier League for the past three seasons, missing out most agonisingly on the big prize in 2023-24 by two points to Manchester City. Forget Barclaysmen. This is a squad of nearly men.
In response, Arsenal had developed an air of being above winning things. Arteta had given the impression that he was striving for something beyond the meaningless fodder of a League Cup title.
He was there to curate the perfect set piece or develop an out-of-possession structure that vanishes the ball entirely, not lift a trophy.
As they establish themselves as the best team in England, the project appears to be bearing fruit. The aim was not about winning football matches per se, but instead minimising variance.
It was the development of an ideology where Arsenal could hurt teams in multiple ways while leaving opponents scrabbling around trying to figure out how on earth they could create anything themselves.
There has been unwavering faith that at some point it would pay off. Now it looks like that might actually be happening.
As Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany said after his team’s loss to Arsenal though: “I don’t think any of us want to be the best team in November.”
Yet there is a convincing argument to be made that Arsenal are not at their best. This may not be their final form. They are currently playing without £55m striker signing Viktor Gyökeres, as well as longer-term absentee Kai Havertz, up front.
Captain Martin Ødegaard has managed only 204 minutes in the Premier League owing to injury. Defensive linchpin Gabriel Magalhães is another absentee.
It can be debated about how much impact each of these injuries is actually having on the Arsenal team. It is hard to ignore the lingering feeling that it is just philosophically right that Mikel Merino is Arsenal’s best No 9, for example.
They do not feel like a flimsy team. They feel like one where there is more to come
But it is undeniable that Arteta and Arsenal have developed a side who are no longer so suspect to the misfortune that can come from a key injury at a crucial point.
Take the fact that Leandro Trossard, one of Arsenal’s form attackers, had to go off in the 38th minute of the match against Bayern Munich. In the past, that may well have been destabilising. Instead, Noni Madueke came on in his place and scored Arsenal’s second goal. This does not feel like a flimsy team. It feels like one where there is more to come.
There will undoubtedly be moments over the next months where the foundations of the Arteta project could be challenged.
Despite Arteta’s best efforts to tame it, football tends to burst away from logic and find a way to frustrate.
Sunday could be one such moment. Arsenal have failed to win at Stamford Bridge for the past two seasons, but Chelsea have not beaten Arsenal since it looked like Romelu Lukaku was going to be a successful signing (for the second time).
Where Arsenal have created a cult of serenity, Enzo Maresca is navigating the maelstrom that is Chelsea to be a surprising title challenger.
Now Pep’s two lost boys will fight it out, with their mentor hovering just close enough behind them to open up the possibility that Manchester City could still be in this.
Neuer was unable to reach out to stop Martinelli scoring the final goal on Wednesday night. Chelsea will have to hope their arms are longer when it comes to the title race on Sunday afternoon.
It is testament to Arsenal’s ominous nature that it feels hard truly to imagine it.
Which English teams have won major trophies since Arsenal’s last piece of silverware?
Chelsea (Champions League, Conference League)
Manchester United (FA Cup, Carabao Cup)
Manchester City (4x Premier Leagues, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Champions League)
Liverpool (Premier League, FA Cup, 2x Carabao Cups)
West Ham (Conference League)
Tottenham (Europa League)
Crystal Palace (FA Cup)
Newcastle (Carabao Cup)
Leicester City (FA Cup)
Photograph by Julian Finney/UEFA/Getty