ARSENAL fans have seen plenty of false dawns crumble to dust since Arsene Wenger last lifted the Premier League trophy – in the decade before the one just gone.
So given that Mikel Arteta’s first game in the Emirates dugout featured a great start and an ultimately squandered lead, there was still fear they were worshipping another false idol when launching past Manchester United eight minutes into Monday night’s encounter.
Arteta had other ideas.
For all the dreams that Pep Guardiola’s former assistant at Manchester City would unleash the ultimate in tiki-taka football, he had another trick up his sleeve.
It is often forgotten that City only conceded 50 goals in the past two Premier League campaigns.
And Arteta, even dressed like Pep in a plain grey turtleneck, had been working on a masterplan based on humble organisation and dogged determination.
Arsenal’s defence was awesome – or, at least, finally not terrible.
Credit where credit is due. Lucas Torreira put so many crucial foots on the ball you could redefine his role as The Octopus.
Muscle men Sokratis and Sead Kolasinac were deployed appropriately, to break up the play and be unfussy with the ball.
David Luiz and Granit Xhaka showed discipline. Even Mesut Ozil tracked back and got stuck in.
There will always be fears that this is another overhyped anomaly. Indeed, Leeds, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United, Chelsea and Burnley will do more to test how rough-and-tumble Arsenal truly are than this rigid United side could.
And sure, Alexandre Lacazette still looks off the pace in attack and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is not a winger.
But this defensive display did not feel like a one-off, it felt genuine. There may now, or at least soon, be genuine hope too.
