Guardian Australia
To borrow a line from Mikel Arteta, it is not meant to be easy. And it was anything but on the latest anxiety-ridden, claustrophobic occasion for his Arsenal team. The club’s recent wobble has been pronounced. The loss to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final . The FA Cup exit at Southampton . The Premier League defeat against Bournemouth that has imperilled their title push. The nerves are pounding like a migraine and this was a night which was always going to be entirely outcome-based. Hold on to the 1-0 lead from the first-leg of this quarter-final and it would be triumph – only a fourth appearance in the semi-finals of the competition. Fall short against a tidy Sporting team and ignominy was guaranteed; a deepening of the existential crisis. It is Manchester City next at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, after all. Continue reading...
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