As Eberechi Eze peeled away towards the corner flag, with the first north London derby hat-trick in nearly 50 years complete and a match ball on its way, Mikel Merino afforded himself the slightest of punches to the sky.
The cameras all pointed to boyhood Arsenal fan Eze, about whom the headlines were already being written, but it was once again a centre forward standing more than 30 yards from goal who made it all possible.
