Arsenal went into the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool overflowing with hope and expectation, only to end well beaten and empty-handed on a night when manager Mikel Arteta's trophy hopes were extinguished.
The cards looked to have fallen in Arsenal's favour. The semi-final legs were reversed to give them the conclusion in front of their own fans after Liverpool were granted a cancellation of the scheduled first game. The Gunners had achieved a superb goalless draw with 10 men at Anfield. Liverpool were without world-class striker duo Sadio Mane and Mo Salah.
What better chance would they have to make a statement about their current status under Arteta than by beating a superpower such as Liverpool?