When Julian Alvarez let fly, he had room to do so. His shot arrowed on to the base of the post. A few seconds later, Nathan Ake scored. Half an hour after that, the Premier League leaders were out of the FA Cup. It may not have been Arsenal’s greatest loss at the Etihad Stadium on Friday.
Mikel Arteta had tried to take the risk-free approach. He had rested the majority of his regulars against Manchester City, his bench featuring six who would have begun a league game. But Thomas Partey started and suffered; his ribs were hurt in a collision with Ilkay Gundogan, his match ended at half-time and, when Alvarez then proved the catalyst for the winner, it was tempting to wonder if Partey would have closed him down and snuffed out the danger. Sometimes the best defensive midfielders attract attention more when they aren’t there than when they are.
