Arsène Wenger racked his brains and tried to think. Could the Arsenal manager remember the last time his team played with the purpose and poise, the courage and conviction they displayed in 45 mesmerising minutes against Napoli, when Mesut Özil and Aaron Ramsey cut a side unbeaten in Serie A to shreds time and time again?

“I don’t know,” he said. “Certainly it is one of the best halves we have played at home for a long time. I would be tempted to say when we last played Barcelona here [in February 2011], but the games in the Champions League are a bit different. Teams come to play as well. In the Barclays Premier League, they sit back and defend.”

Neither approach seems quite capable