On the same day that Mikel Arteta suffered his latest devastating attacking injury blow, Chido Obi reminded Arsenal of the talent they lost last summer. The 17-year-old scored his latest hat-trick to spearhead Manchester United Under-18s' demolition of Chelsea in a blockbuster FA Youth Cup meeting at Leigh Sports Village.
United, chasing a record-extending 12th title, hosted the nine-time winners and named a squad boasting some of the country's most exciting starlets in that age group.
Harry Amass, James Scanlon, Gabriele Biancheri, Tyler Fletcher, and Jack Fletcher headlined Adam Lawrence's starting lineup alongside Obi.
Meanwhile, Godwill Kukonki, Jayce Fitzgerald, Amir Ibragimov and Shea Lacey featured on an exciting bench.
Scanlon bagged a brace to down the Blues in a 5-1 mauling, but Obi's headline-stealing three-piece has unsurprisingly got the masses talking.
Hours before kick-off, The Athletic reported that Kai Havertz would miss the remainder of the season with a torn hamstring he sustained during Arsenal's training camp in Dubai.
Arteta is also without Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli until March at the earliest with hamstring injuries.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus faces several months out of action due to an anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in his left knee in January.
It leaves the Premier League and Champions League-chasing Gunners with loanee winger Raheem Sterling, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri and Leandro Trossard as Arteta's firepower.
Obi rejected a new contract at Hale End in the summer due to concerns over his pathway into the first team, joining United's acclaimed academy.
Arsenal's injury woes have raised the question of whether the Denmark youth international will regret his decision to leave north London, given the current circumstances.
He has been regularly scoring goals for United's U18 and U21 teams but has only sporadically taken part in first-team training on recovery days when Ruben Amorim has required numbers.
However, Obi made his happiness in Manchester abundantly clear after his latest masterclass, posting on his Instagram story, "Love this club" with a love heart emoji.
He has scored seven goals in three FA Youth Cup games for United as part of a prolific debut season so far, which many expected, given his exploits for Arsenal.
Red Devils chiefs Jason Wilcox, Christopher Vivell and Darren Fletcher were in attendance for the thrashing of Chelsea.
Amorim has publicly retained faith in Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee to improve their goal output before the end of the campaign.
But Obi's continued development is undoubtedly handing the Portuguese boss something to think about ahead of his expected push for a new striker in the summer transfer window.