Arsenal completed an unwanted hat-trick this season of second-place finishes in the Premier League, and made it five years in a row without a trophy.
The progression under Mikel Arteta is clear, and beating Real Madrid home and away will live long in the memory, but this was the first backwards step of the Spaniard's reign.
And the reasons why are both clear and urgent - injuries played their part, as did the number of red cards Arsenal received, but a lack of striker depth and goalscoring options meant the Gunners did not have a player score 10 league goals for the first time in 101 years.