The old Arsenal may have come out for a few chaotic and ultimately costly minutes, but such calamity is becoming rarer and rarer. It should worry Manchester United.
After such a turgid start to the season, the only (mild, at best) success United can hope for in the Premier League is finishing in the top four and ensuring their place in the Champions League. Failure to do so would be pretty disastrous and certainly wouldn't go down well with many in the squad.
The hesitation in sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, when it was already beyond clear that he wouldn't be seeing out 2021 in the hot seat, has only made it more difficult.
Not only were precious points dropped but not moving for elite-level manager Antonio Conte while he was available meant that Tottenham were able to swoop in for him, immediately making themselves credible contenders for the top four again after looking like they had no chance of doing so.
The door has also been cracked ajar for West Ham, who can just about make out the warm glow of the promised land but their recent form likely means they won't quite make the cut - at least not through their finish in the league.
And then there is Arsenal. Another side who didn't look likely to be in the fight. But the way they have turned their form around in recent months has perhaps made them the leading contender and the race for fourth place more competitive than the one for the actual title.
Mikel Arteta looked as though he might go the same way as Solskjaer as Arsenal made a poor to middling start to the season after losing their first three matches. That coupled with issues such as the fallout with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could have derailed it further but, instead, the manager has engineered a turnaround that few expected.
New Year's Day saw the Gunners welcome Manchester City to the emirates in what would be a real litmus test for how far they have come in recent weeks, having won their last four games comfortably against opposition they should be beating but have struggled so much to do in years gone by.
They would eventually go on to lose to the champions in a game mired with VAR controversy in the final minute, but their performance said much more than the result. In the opening 45 minutes, they gave City a game that few others have done this season, with their exciting wingers Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli repeatedly ripping their full-backs to shreds and the impressive Martin Odegaard pulling the strings in the centre.
They went in at the break with a deserved one-goal lead but then the moments of madness so typical of Arsenal reared their hilarious head once again as they conspired to squander all their good work. Firstly, Granit Xhaka needlessly tugged at Bernardo Silva in the box to give the midfielder an excuse to go down and win a penalty which was converted.
Centre-back Gabriel then earned a booking for dissent and two minutes later the Brazilian was shown another yellow and dismissed.
That was an open invitation for City to attack for the remaining half an hour but Arsenal held resolute with some intense, compact defending and they nearly made it home with a point before Rodri popped up deep into added time to leave them slumped in disbelief.
There was a rare sight upon the full-time whistle, though, as despite watching their team throw away a win, Arsenal fans didn't resort to typical boos and rage (aside from for the referee) and instead applauded the players and continued to chant the club's name.
It was a defeat, yes. But a galvanising one. It proved that Arsenal have come a long way in recent weeks and that they can now at least compete with the leading clubs again. In August City defeated them at a canter 5-0, this time around they were dealt their toughest match for months.
They are starting to look like a good side. They have some excellent young players that can be built around to create an even better one and are finally starting to hit their stride under Arteta. Of course, it may just be a hot run of form that could fall off a cliff now but it doesn't feel like it and it should be a concern for United. They are now real contenders for fourth spot.
It's still in United's hands, though. They have two games in hand on the Gunners with a four-point gap to make up. Not to mention that the typical Arsenal nature that cost them against City is unlikely to be the last time it happens. But, with the race for top four heating up some worried glances will be getting cast to North London.
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