Special One? No, Diego is the Simeone

Sloppy defending after Lacazette opener

Oblak as the Spaniards found themselves under siege. Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck had another glorious chance, but his close-range effort was brilliantly blocked by Oblak.

The Gunners pushed Atletico further and further back into retreat, but not only was Oblak equal to everything but their centre-halves, Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin, were outstanding.

Between them, Gimenez and Godin headed, cleared and blocked every ball sent into the box as if their lives depended on it as they delivered a lesson in defending at the highest level.

You really felt as if Arsenal were beginning to lose heart, even the stadium went quiet as there seemed to be no way through.

But it was then that Arsenal really dug deep and produced the breakthrough.

It was Griezmann who tried to play out from the back, got caught in possession and Wilshere broke down the left of the penalty box before putting over a deep cross. Lacazette rose at the back post and headed powerfully down into the bottom corner to score.

But just when you thought it was all over, Atletico produced a goal out of nothing to break Arsenal hearts. Nacho Monreal played Griezmann onside, the centre-halves did no better.

Griezmann raced on to Gimenez’s long ball over the top, beat Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi lost his footing just as he was about to tackle – leaving the forward to flick a shot into the net.