HOW MIKEL ARTETA BUILT A RED AND WHITE WALL

ARSENAL 2 MAN CITY 0

DURING commentary on Saturday, BT’s Ian Darke made a shrewd observation about the body language of Arsenal’s players.

‘They look like they are celebrating a party every time they stop a Manchester City attack,’ said Darke.

The cruel among us could suggest it was because it was so unusual. Prior to this brilliant performance, Arsenal had lost seven times on the spin to Pep Guardiola’s team, conceding 20 goals in the process.

But down on the Arsenal bench the sense of common purpose was mirrored. The substitutes were at it, too. Celebrating throw-ins and applauding as City’s often quite relentless attacks crashed against a strangely resilient red-and-white wall.

So it’s time to be generous to Mikel Arteta’s much-maligned team. The cruelty can wait. This was a bespoke tactical display, orchestrated by a clever, flowering coach and carried out by a team that looked as though it has finally started to listen.

Arsenal have some way to go before they return to the very top of the English game, as Guardiola suggested they would last Friday. It is only eight days ago since defensive mistakes helped Tottenham win a North London derby.

Nevertheless, this was a huge step in the right direction. It is a while since we have seen an Arsenal team display such doggedness and cohesion and for Arteta it felt like a pivotal evening.

At Wembley the Spaniard made big calls. Mesut Ozil was not in the squad of 20, although fit. The German, by far the highest paid player at the club, has been given enough rope and he has hanged himself. There was also no place for the talented but undisciplined midfielder Matteo Guendouzi.

By leaving such talent at home, Arteta’s message to his squad was clear. So, too, were those contained in a tactical set-up designed to bolster his team’s weakness — its defence — and lend impetus to its clear strength, pace on the counter.

Arsenal’s three-man defence afforded the inconsistent David Luiz some protection and he was magnificent. That tactical tweak asked a lot of Kieran Tierney, moved from left-back to the left of three. Again, Arteta’s faith proved well-judged. Tierney responded with an outstanding performance.

Arsenal were lucky at times, just as they were in beating Liverpool in the Premier League last week.

Arteta will know that his team cannot play like this every week and get away with it. They will have to find a way to command a little more of the ball.

But, to beat this City team, everybody has to be a little bit fortunate. The big moments in games just have to go your way and here they undoubtedly did. Arteta picked a team that mixed resilience with the ability to puncture a City defence that can look porous and the manner in which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang took his two goals was right out of that playbook. Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe have great depths of talent and cost in the region of £180m between them. But Arteta, like Unai Emery before him, is usually reluctant to play all three forwards together. Only twice since lockdown had it previously happened.

Here, it represented another huge call. If Arsenal were to die, it would be with their boots on and it transpired to be another decisive decision from a coach who learned so much from his years under Guardiola at City.

Whether this victory eventually helps bring Arsenal another FA Cup triumph remains to be seen. They will start as second favourites in next month’s final.

But already it has done so much for Arteta. His players — even those who often seem so slow to learn and reluctant to change — will look at him differently after this. They will believe in him.

Just as importantly, this victory gives Arteta serious leverage with his board.

The 38-year-old said last week that he needs new players this summer. He followed up last Friday by stressing his words did not constitute an ultimatum to the club but he had already made his point. He needs some money to spend, and despite the difficulties imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, important days like this will help him get what he needs.

Threats to progress remain. Aubameyang has not signed a new contract yet. Take the Gabon striker out of this team and it is immediately 30-per-cent weaker. Arteta will also need to find a centre half in the traditional and reliable mode. Some of this success against City was carved from last-ditch blocks and tackles and fine goalkeeping. That is not a reliable formula.

However, this was a day to recognise a team operating in unison under the command of an innovative coach. It was deeply impressive and we have not said that about Arsenal for a while. Those celebrations were hard-earned.