Mikel Arteta has said that his Arsenal side have been re-energised by their reaction to Kai Havertz's season-ending injury.

But even a year before Arteta was appointed as Arsenal boss, he was strongly linked with replacing Wenger. However, the club decided to opt for experience by bringing Unai Emery in. At the time, however, Arsene Wenger gave five reasons why Mikel Arteta would have even suited the job a year before he replaced Emery in the hotseat.

Moments before Merino was thrown on for the final 20 minutes at the King Power Stadium, he was collared by Arteta for some final instructions. It turned out to be a masterstroke. Merino’s two goals in the final 10 minutes secured a 2-0 win and, crucially, meant Arsenal kept pace with Liverpool in the title race.