Arsenal have waited too long for a shot at the Premier League title to let a fairytale get in the way of their dreams.
Aston Villa had turned up in north London on Tuesday night on the back of a surge of victories that has revived memories of Leicester City's miracle Premier League triumph a decade ago.
But they left with their ambitions shattered and their 11-game winning run brought to a brutal end by an Arsenal side that survived a difficult first half and then crushed their opponents.