Arsene Wenger looks on during Arsenal's 8-2 defeat to Manchester United in 2011 (Photo by Alex Livesey, Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Most Arsenal fans would rather not remember the events of 28th August 2011, but looking back now on the morning after the Gunners have been confirmed as the new Premier League champions, it looks like possibly one of football’s great sliding-doors moments.
That dark day in Arsenal’s history, almost 15 years ago now, was of course the famous 8-2 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Most managers would quite possibly have been sacked on the spot after that, but, somewhat remarkably, Arsene Wenger would carry on in the job for a further seven years.
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But it was what he did in the days after the defeat that ended up setting Arsenal onto a different path, with the heavy defeat putting the club under immense pressure to carry out some late summer transfer window spending.
That defeat came on a Sunday, while Deadline Day was on Wednesday. Arsenal left it late, but eventually agreed a deal with Everton to sign Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta.
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Arteta had been a solid player for Everton, and not someone they’d have wanted to lose, but most Arsenal fans were probably not that over the moon about the deal. Still, he and Per Mertesacker came in to add a bit more experience to a youthful Arsenal side that had just taken such an almighty battering, and they proved successful as that team eventually finished third.
In the following years, Arteta became a reliable performer in Arsenal’s midfield, eventually becoming club captain and lifting a couple of FA Cups before retiring in 2016. He was no Patrick Vieira or Cesc Fabregas, but Gooners had warmed to him, and gave him a fond farewell in his final appearance at the Emirates Stadium at the end of the 2015/16 season.
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But even if Arteta’s playing days for Arsenal were not all that much to write home about, it meant a special bond was formed between the north London club and a player who, although we didn’t know it at the time, would go on to become a truly outstanding manager.
The 44-year-old had his spell working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, and it looked like a gamble when the Gunners appointed him to his first role as a number one to replace Unai Emery in late 2019.
Arteta was a total rookie, coming into his first job in management, and taking over a club in total disarray.
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Fast forward seven years later and Arsenal are back at the top of English football, with Manchester City’s draw against Bournemouth last night confirming that the Premier League trophy was coming back to north London for the first time in 22 years.
Not only that, but there’s a Champions League final still to come, for what could be a historic double. Even if not, with Guardiola expected to leave Manchester City and many of their rivals in transitional periods, there’s an opportunity for a period of dominance ahead for Arsenal.
The journey was a long one, with AFC backing their manager even after a difficult start, and plenty of setbacks and near-misses along the way.
But arguably, the journey started even longer ago, and may never have happened at all if not for that unfortunate 8-2 score-line at Old Trafford.
It’s funny how things work out.