Even a collection of artists can appreciate the value of a grubby finish on a cold, hard night. For that reason, the ugliest goal of Arsenal’s campaign might yet be remembered as one of those defining moments in a season.
That it was nudged over from two yards off the thigh of Leandro Trossard would otherwise be a forgettable detail, but it rerouted a fixture that had proven more taxing than most expected.
It was also indicative of what we might tentatively risk terming as the new Arsenal. They have the pretty stuff in abundance and we know that.