Arteta may have won the FA Cup against Chelsea in 2020, but if they had held on for just a few seconds longer in a hectic final at Manchester City, it might have been the best win of his managerial career.

The Gunners defended a 2-1 lead superbly, their task made even more difficult by Trossard’s foolish decision to earn a second yellow card from referee Michael Oliver seconds before half-time when he kicked the ball away after an unnecessary foul on Bernardo Silva.

City dug in Arsenal’s half and it became an attack-versus-defence exercise. But with Ben White replacing Bukayo Saka at half-time to reinforce the defence, Arteta’s team were superbly drilled and played without a hint of panic as the Premier League champions looked increasingly desperate for an equaliser.

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya once again put in a flawless performance, dominating his area and fending off all of City’s attacks, so it was perhaps inevitable that they would collapse at the last second, amid a pile of bodies and a scramble for a corner.

Arteta and his players could rightly point out that it was inconsistent that Oliver Doku did not get penalised for doing the same thing earlier in the first half. They did so when Declan Rice was sent off recently for a second yellow card after clearing the ball against Brighton. But this was unnecessary from the Belgian and put Arsenal under pressure that the team could not ultimately cope with.

Arsenal were leading and playing against a City side that was without their talisman Rodri due to an early injury, leaving the Gunners, who were a real threat up front, with a tough task ahead.

One thing is clear: as with their victories against Aston Villa and Tottenham, Arsenal have once again shown their courage and endurance in this title fight and pushed City to their limits. Within a few seconds, the team managed to secure their first victory at the Etihad Stadium since January 2015.