It is open to debate as to whether the FA Cup has been a blessing or a curse for Arsenal in recent years. But after reaching the semifinals for the 30th time on Sunday, following a dramatic late win at Sheffield United, the sense of the competition giving the Gunners the opportunity to paper over the cracks was inescapable once more.
Clearly, winning is always better than losing, no matter what state a club finds itself in, and manager Mikel Arteta will find plenty of positives from the 2-1 victory at Bramall Lane that was secured by a stoppage-time winner from Dani Ceballos, four minutes after David McGoldrick's equaliser looked to have taken the game into extra-time.