It was the sub that shocked the world.
Arsenal were toiling against Everton, no one more so than their captain Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian had missed a huge chance to put his side ahead in the first half and was lacking his usual creative spark in the final third.
Even with all that going on though, it was a surprise to see him come off just after the hour mark. Even more surprising was Mikel Arteta's admission after the game that the decision was not enforced by injury.
"With Martin it was a tactical decision to try to change their rhythm on that side," the Spaniard said in his post-match press conference. "No (it wasn't because of injury)."
It's not as if Arteta has to think too far back to see what his side are like without their captain. When Odegaard was injured Arsenal managed just 15 goals in 12 Premier League and Champions League games. Since his return they have scored 20 in just eight matches.
The Gunners are almost wholly dependent on the creativity that Odegaard provides. There is an argument that any team would miss a player of the Norwegian's quality for sure. But could Arsenal have mitigated for his absence or lack of form in the summer? Definitely.
Last season Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe played the role of creative alternative to Odegaard. Both were let go this summer, without a replacement coming in. When asked to explain this decision, Arteta insisted he has no regrets.
"We allowed Fabio (and Emile to) go because we wanted to create the room and the space for Ethan [Nwaneri]," he said just two weeks ago. "He has given us every reason to trust him. He's shown that he's ready to make the next step and it’s great to have him. "
The faith in Nwaneri is admirable. He is a talent Arsenal have known about for a while, and it is clear that if he continues on his current trajectory that he will become a world class talent. But Odegaard's role in the team is pivotal. He is the central hub through which all Arsenal's attacking play flows. To ask a 17-year-old to replicate that, in hindsight, feels like a lot.
And so it proved against Everton. Nwaneri had just 10 touches in the game and rarely looked like providing the "magic moment" Arteta felt his side needed to win the game. This is not to criticise Nwaneri at all, but instead to highlight the tremendous burden he was under. At 17 he was essentially asked to keep Arsenal's dwindling title hopes alive. It was too much.
Arsenal's creativity issues are far bigger than just an individual player though. The Gunners have had less goals, less shots and less xG at this stage of the season than in any of their previous two title charges. There is an argument that this comes down to poor squad planning as much as anything.
Vieira was far from a hit during his underwhelming stint at the Emirates Stadium, but Smith Rowe feels like a player who could have offered something here. The Hale Ender was a fan favourite, and although Arsenal got a good price for him, you wonder if he might have been able to provide more spark.
Arteta instead pushed hard to bring in Mikel Merino as an alternative. While the Spaniard can be a handful at set pieces, he is more of a deeper playmaker and far from a regular goal threat.
His presence in the squad speaks to a wider aura of caution that seems to have become prevalent in Arteta's thinking. The Arsenal boss is obsessed with control and dominance of the opposition. But within that approach there is little room for spontaneity or risk.
Arteta wants his side to be classical. Sometimes to win football matches, you need to be a bit more jazz.
Arsene Wenger once spoke of the importance of taking the handbrake off. Arteta never really seemed willing to do that again Everton. Nwaneri and Odegaard could surely have played together. Raheem Sterling is surely not so unusable that bringing on Thomas Partey ahead of him was the right decision.
With Manchester City toiling this season, questions like this only begin to carry more weight. As crown princes to the title in their past two campaigns, Arsenal should be storming their way to a first Premier League in 20 years at this point. Instead they are toiling away in third and looking less likely than ever before to be champions.
Arteta will fairly point to circumstances to explain this. Injuries have been unfortunate, decisions haven't gone their way. But if things don't change, the Arsenal manager certainly has to take a share of the blame. His dogmatic pursuit of control could end up costing the Gunners in the long run.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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