When Oscar clipped number four of six into the roof of the net, Arsene Wenger lifted the cuff of his anniversary suit and stared at his watch.
It was that time again. Humiliation time. It has become Arsenal’s big-match ritual.
Here was another defining game defined by destruction, another landmark test spectacularly flunked before Wenger’s clock struck half past one.
It was that time again. Time when Wenger, for all his defiance and optimism, must wonder if enough is enough.
If he didn’t yesterday, he should have.
He was ushered into this fixture on a wave of warmth and appreciation for his wonderful contribution not just to Arsenal but to the good of English football.
He was ushered away from this fixture with his dignity in a thousand shreds, his pride lacerated by a man who brashly epitomises everything Wenger deplores in the game.
For the objective, to see a man of distinction shamed so starkly is uncomfortable. Pride will mean quitting is not an immediate option.
Quitting is the wrong word, anyway. When Wenger and Arsenal ends, he will give good notice and it will end lovingly.
For his achievements and his legacy, so it should.
But there is a harsh truth Wenger has to confront - he is consistently beaten and embarrassed by elite opponents. Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City have been Arsenal’s powerhouse rivals in recent years.
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Wenger’s league record against them is simply appalling. He has won once in his last 14 games against that trio - and that was against a Jose-free Chelsea back in October of 2011. Like him or not, Jose Mourinho - six wins, five draws - has his number.
Mourinho looks the modern manager, Wenger a fast-fading visionary of yesteryear. Strip away the Andre Marriner farce and the numerical significance of this match and you were left with a stark demonstration of how Mourinho gets things right on the big stage and Wenger gets things wrong. Simple as that.
Every elite coach bar Wenger makes the nullification of counter-attacks a high priority.
And who does Wenger have holding for Arsenal against the lords of the counter? Mikel Arteta - last seen chugging like a tugboat in Oscar’s wake.
Mourinho’s plan was to press Arsenal high, win possession, exploit the space behind the lumbering Per Mertesacker.
Just as it was Manuel Pellegrini’s plan in the 6-3 thumping, just as it was Brendan Rodgers’ plan in the 5-1 hammering. Surely, Wenger sees it coming. But still he sanctions needless intricacy in midfield, still he plays an absurdly high line, still he sends out babies with candy to meet men. “This was my fault. I take full responsibility for it,” said Wenger.
Of course, he was right. Just as the ignominies at the Etihad and Anfield were his fault.
He continues to believe these players can stand up to the strongest, to believe his system can still work at the highest level, to believe he can succeed with one decent striker.
He is wrong on all counts … and this, the gravest personal humiliation on what should have been a proud day, should tell him that.
Wenger left in a hurry - you couldn’t blame him. And he didn’t need to stare at that watch to know time was on his tail.