That’s all folks.
Well done to Jacob for manning the blog for the game.
Will the rest of Wenger’s reign be so positive? We will find out on Thursday.
On the upside for West Ham, Stoke were held at home by Burnley, so will struggle to stay up now. Paul Doyle was at the Bet365.
Moyes thought his team were good for a point until Rice ducked under Ramsey’s cross.
Asked whether 4-1 was a fair result, Moyes said: “The last 10 minutes it might have been but before then we were good for a point.
“The young should have headed it away, why he ducked I have no idea.
“We’re distraught for the team, as I thought the team effort was incredible.
“I am more disappointed in the last five minutes but maybe I had too many attacking players on.”
Updated
Our man Daniel Daniel Taylor was at the Emirates. Read his report:
Wenger has spoken to a slightly less croaky Shreeves.
“I think we are at the moment top of the home league. We constructed patiently our win in the first half, it was tough to find space.
“From the second half onwards we looked like we could score as we found more space.
“At 1-1 you could see we were wobbling or not and the second goal killed them.”
Regarding the Elneny injury, Wenger said: “It doesn’t look good on his ankle.”
The Frenchman was also pretty diplomatic on his future and whether he jumped before he was pushed. “Look, I have nothing to add. I think it was in my statement what I wanted to say. Apart from that, I have nothing to say.”
Lacazette showed that he can be clinical in front of goal, once again. His efforts will be a great boon for the Frenchman and anyone who arrives to manage him in the summer, knowing how much attacking prowess Arsenal have to offer.
Poor Joe Hart. He made two absolutely stunning saves but his game will not be remembered for conceding late goals and Ramsey’s cross into the net. I would argue that was the fault of Declan Rice - no goalkeeper is expecting their defender to duck out of a header on the edge of the six-yard box. It was a very strange decision from the young centre-back, one he will not make again.
Henry doing some more criticism of the Arsenal defence, pointing out no one bothered to see where Arnautovic was in the box. It was pretty poor from the back four. Maybe that will change next season...
Aaron Ramsey has spoken to a very croaky Geoff Shreeves on the win.
“We took a bit of time to get going; it was very hot out there, but I don’t want to make excuses.”
On Wenger’s imminent departure: “Obviously, it’s really tough to take. He’s believed in us, backed us and given us all these opportunities. I owe him a lot and he deserves everything he gets.
“We’re not thinking about who’s coming in next and it’s all about doing it for him and hopefully we can end up with a cup.”
A final one for the list...
22 - Arsene Wenger has beaten David Moyes in 22 matches in all competitions – more than he has beaten another manager during his time as Arsenal boss. Pickings. pic.twitter.com/nxG0fxYHLi
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 22, 2018
Well...it was all quite easy in the end for Arsenal. Aubameyang make a very positive after coming on. Would have been a touch underwhelming if Wenger began his long good with a defeat. They were helped by the second goal coming from a Rice mistake but Arsenal were on top at that stage.
That’s all from me. Will Unwin will take you through the post-match reaction.
Full-time: Arsenal 4-1 West Ham
It’s Arsene Wenger’s day! And nobody can really have any complaints about that. Unless you’re David Moyes.
90 min+2: Lacazette, on a hat-trick, almost dribbles through. Instead he lays it back to Xhaka, who sidefoots a decent chance over. West Ham have badly run out of steam. They are six points above the bottom three with four matches left and aren’t quite safe yet.
90 min: There will be four added minutes. “There’s only one Arsene Wenger!” the Arsenal fans chant.
GOAL! Arsenal 4-1 West Ham (Lacazette, 89 min)
Ramsey dribbles into the area from the left, beating Zabaleta with ease, and cuts it back to Lacazette. He eludes one challenge before slamming a low shot past Hart. Arsenal have turned on the style!
Updated
88 min: Calum Chambers replaces Danny Welbeck.
87 min: Arnautovic is booked for barging Aubameyang over.
86 min: Andy Carroll replaces Arthur Masuaku.
GOAL! Arsenal 3-1 West Ham (Lacazette, 85 min)
Arsenal are enjoying themselves now. Welbeck plays a one-two with Xhaka and finds Aubameyang. He moves it on to Lacazette, whose shot from the right zips off Cresswell and flies past the unfortunate Hart.
Updated
84 min: That defending was so bad it’s enough to make you think Rice was paying tribute to latter-day Wengerball.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 West Ham (Ramsey, 82 min)
This is a farce. Arsenal counter down the right, Aubameyang tearing down the right. His cross is headed away by Rice, but Ramsey picks the ball up on the left. He curls a cross into the six-yard box and this time Rice decides to duck under it and leave the ball to Hart. One problem: Hart isn’t telepathic and he was unable to stop the cross from drifting into the far corner! Oh dear. A total breakdown in communication, Rice showing his inexperience, and Arsenal have the lead again!
Updated
80 min: There’s more mayhem in the West Ham area, Hart unable to gather a loose ball, Ogbonna unable to hack clear, but Ramsey and Lacazette can’t bundle the ball in. West Ham survive.
79 min: Arsenal are enjoying a lot of possession at the moment. West Ham can’t get out. A clearance falls to Welbeck. He curls one towards the far corner from the left, but Hart flies to his left to brilliantly push it away! That looked a certain goal! What a goalkeeper!
78 min: The crowd’s a bit quiet. You can hear the shouts of encouragement from the West Ham bench. “Get out him to, Cheikh ... Get it out, Arthur ... Bring me, Marouane Fellaini.”
76 min: The camera lingers on Andy Carroll, allowing us to gaze at the Geordie hunk for a while.
74 min: Mustafi goes through the back of Hernandez. He’s booked. He isn’t very good, is he?
73 min: Koscielny attacks Xhaka’s corner, but Hart gathers the loose ball.
72 min: Xhaka lines one up from 25 yards, steps round Noble and forces Hart to tip his low effort wide of the left post. Excellent save.
71 min: The West Ham fans are singing about Carlton Cole, as you do.
70 min: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang replaces Alex Iwobi.
68 min: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be on soon. You have to wonder if Wenger ever wanted him.
65 min: Ashley Barnes has made it Stoke 1-1 Burnley.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 West Ham (Arnautovic, 64 min)
Masuaku surges down the left and crosses towards Arnautovic. Ospina comes flying out to punch away, but West Ham keep pressing. Kouyate sees a shot blocked. The ball eventually comes to Lanzini, who manages to poke it to Arnautovic, free on the left. He takes a touch and then he rams a brilliant low shot past Ospina, the power too much for the Arsenal goalkeeper to handle! Oh Arsenal.
Updated
63 min: Zabaleta’s chipped cross forces Koscielny to glance away from Arnautovic. The ball comes to Masuaku, who wins a corner on the left. Lanzini’s corner is headed away but West Ham keep pressing, a spell of head tennis ending with Arnautovic volleying over.
62 min: Maitland-Niles is booked for a late tackle on Noble.
61 min: A free-kick to West Ham on the right. Lanzini whips it in and almost combines with another substitute, only for Hernandez to head over. That was a good chance for a player of Hernandez’s finishing ability and he knows it.
60 min: Manuel Lanzi replaces the ineffective Edimilson Fernandes and Javier Hernandez replaces the disappointing Joao Mario.
58 min: West Ham are about to introduce Manuel Lanzini and Javier Hernandez.
57 min: Iwobi pops up on the right and cuts the ball back to Ramsey, who sweeps a shot wide. Meanwhile a replay of Monreal’s goal shows that the dozy Masuaku was standing on the post and simply stepped aside, leaving it to Hart, who was furious. Absurd defending. He could have cleared it.
55 min: Arsenal are rampant now. West Ham are all over the place. They’ve not recovered from going behind. Lacazette gets a shot away from inside the area, but it’s blocked. Then Ogbonna heads a dangerous cross behind for a corner.
53 min: Arsenal fancy this now - which is nice of them - and Iwobi drives into the area from the right, only to ruin a promising run with a poor cross.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 West Ham (Monreal, 51 min)
A corner to Arsenal on the left. Xhaka sends it towards the penalty spot and the unmarked Monreal arrives to volley the ball low to Hart’s right! Wenger in!
Updated
50 min: West Ham take a useless corner over on the left and Arsenal break. The visitors are caught short as Arsenal break and Zabaleta takes emergency action, sending Welbeck flying. He’s booked.
48 min: Lacazette’s chipped cross is chested down by Welbeck, who gets away with a little shove on Zabaleta, but Monreal shoots straight at Hart. Which isn’t usually the worst idea, but the West Ham goalkeeper holds on to this one.
47 min: Sky’s Geoff Shreeves has been told by Arsenal’s medical team that Mohamed Elneny appears to have rolled an ankle, which is encouraging news.
46 min: West Ham get the second half underway. Wenger is late emerging from the tunnel. Disgrace.
Arsenal’s next manager?
“For me, Wenger is the Paul McCartney of football,” says Simon McMahon. “In the same way that the person who wrote Eleanor Rigby and Hey Jude also ended up writing Ebony and Ivory and The Frog Chorus, the man in charge of the ‘98 double winners and the Invincibles has also presided over the risible shower of the past few seasons. Doesn’t lessen the earlier achievements though.”
“As a Yank introduced to European football during the 2001-02 season, I joyfully recall how good some of Arsenal’s attacking bands have been and acknowledge that I missed Arsene’s first great team,” says Daniel Finucane. “But Ozil has to make the cut. The guy is pure class, winner of three Cups, and the subject of one of Wenger’s classic quotes. Then again, it’s almost fitting that he’s been overlooked yet again.”
There is a not a single player who deserves to be left out for Ozil. Pires? Ljungberg? Parlour? Overmars? Puh-lease.
Elsewhere it’s Stoke 1-0 Burnley at half-time. Here’s how the Premier League table looks at the moment.
Half-time: Arsenal 0-0 West Ham
Muted applause.
45 min+5: Xhaka feeds a pass to Ramsey, who turns and shoots wide.
45 min+3: Masuaku slides in on the left and diverts the ball to Arnautovic. The Austrian scoots into the area, but his cross is cut out at the near post. Masuaku takes over and forces Iwobi to concede a corner. Mario knocks it low to the near post and the ball seems to come off Ogbonna and go behind. Lee Mason awards another corner.
45 min+2: “As Elneny goes off, thoughts turn to another name we shall miss - have been missing - Santi Cazorla, who might have made Wenger’s last two years less arid,” says Charles Antaki.
45 min+1: There will be five added minutes.
45 min: Elneny’s taken off on a stretcher. He’s pulled his shirt over his face and appears to be in considerable pain. It appears to be a serious injury. Ainsley Maitland-Niles replaces the Egyptian.
Updated
44 min: Elneny, who’s still down after that collision with Noble, is having a brace put on his left leg.
42 min: Elneny’s afternoon might be over. Wenger is giving instructions to Ainsley Maitland-Niles on the bench.
41 min: West Ham get a couple of crosses into the Arsenal area. Both are overhit. Nothing happens. Play is eventually stopped because Elneny’s down, giving Lee Mason a chance to book Xhaka for an earlier foul on Masuaku.
38 min: Xhaka’s corner is headed away at the near post. Arsenal will probably find a way through at some point, but much of this half has been a good reminder of why Wenger’s leaving.
36 min: “I was a little young to appreciate Wenger’s earliest side, which is slightly surreal for someone who’s nearly 30, so he’s effectively the only Arsenal manager I’ve ever known,” says Matt Loten. “My strongest personal association with Wenger’s Arsenal, however, will always be a game that I never saw. During the Invincibles season, the Gunners famously turned up at my club, Portsmouth, for a league game, and turned us over 5-1, with Thierry Henry donning a blue shirt at the end and clapping the home support for the atmosphere they generated.
“I wasn’t at the game, but my father was, and for the rest of his days he will never tire of describing how good that Arsenal side was that day. In a half-century of supporting Portsmouth, he’s never seen a finer display of pure footballing brilliance. I’ve never seen a side which inspired not just respect, but such unbridled joy in fans of opposing sides. Every time I think back on Arsene’s reign in the year to come, I will think of that: the pure joy that any football fan experienced every time they sat down to watch Wenger’s greatest teams.”
35 min: Bellerin charges down the right and crosses to the far post. Welbeck heads over. “Think you’re placing too much importance on winning vs. skill in your Arsene 11s - especially if the only qualifier for being ranked ahead of Fabregas is being a senior player in a double-winning side,” says Jay.
Did you ever see Petit?
In addition to Jacob’s fine work on this classic, we also have Rob Smyth talking about Chelsea v Southampton in the FA Cup semi-final, if you’re that way inclined.
34 min: Xhaka curls the free-kick powerfully round the wall, but Hart gets two strong fists to the shot and pushes it to safety.
Updated
33 min: Welbeck’s brought down by Rice outside the area. The ball runs through to Lacazette, who’s offside, so Lee Mason brings it back and awards Arsenal a free-kick.
31 min: Welbeck scuffs a shot wide from 25 yards. Arsenal look weirdly anxious. The Emirates is quiet.
29 min: The pace has slowed. There’s not much happening. It feels like a good time to say that The Invincibles are overrated.
26 min: Ramsey is down after being caught by Kouyate.
25 min: Arsenal haven’t tested Joe Hart yet. Wenger out! Here’s a decent effort from Welbeck, though, a low drive that zips just wide from 20 yards.
Updated
23 min: Welbeck plays a one-two with Iwobi and tries to hurtle through. Masuaku steps in, but his tackle is feeble and Welbeck’s able to keep possession. He turns and finds Bellerin, who leans back and sidefoots over.
21 min: The pesky Arnautovic runs on to another long ball, holds off Mustafi and lays it back to Fernandes, who skies a volley from 20 yards. “What surprises me is that Conte isn’t mentioned at all,” says David Dein (not that one). “He knows the Premier League, is almost certainly available, is a nice guy and would know exactly what the Arsenal squad needs both in terms of personnel and coaching. I would expect him to be able to hit the ground running more than anyone else.”
20 min: Arsenal try to settle themselves down and Iwobi almost opens West Ham up with a pass through to Lacazette. The striker turns, but he’s tackled by Ogbonna at the vital moment.
18 min: “Van Persie over Anelka,” says Edward Ricketts. “Did the business for longer (despite injuries), a more complete player and very good goalscoring record in a weaker team than the one Anelka played in. Your take?”
But he didn’t win the league or score in an FA Cup final. Van Persie achieved very little under Wenger. Anelka destroyed defences for two consecutive seasons and was close to winning consecutive doubles.
16 min: Masuaku darts down the left and wins a corner off Bellerin. Mario whips it into the six-yard box and Kouyate, who scored here in 2015, shoulders the ball on to the roof of the net. Arsenal don’t look sure of themselves at the back. Meanwhile Badou Ndiaye has made it Stoke 1-0 Burnley.
Updated
15 min: West Ham are threatening to ruin Wenger’s afternoon. Arnautovic hassles Arsenal on the left this time and again he manages to wriggle clear. He has more space this time and he’s allowed to run into the area. Then he opens up his body and tries to bend one into the far corner, only for Ospina to beat the Austrian’s effort to safety. Arsenal could do with waking up.
13 min: West Ham threaten again, Arnautovic prodding a long ball on to Mario, who darts forward before fizzing a low shot towards the bottom left corner. Ospina gets down well to save. That was an encouraging moment for the visitors and they’re at it again soon after, Arnautovic bursting on to another long punt and breaking into the area from the right. Mustafi slides in to deny him, though.
11 min: West Ham enjoy their first proper spell inside Arsenal’s half. Arnautovic slips a pass inside to Joao Mario, who suddenly spots a huge space in the middle of the home team’s defence. Fernandes can’t control the Portuguese midfielder’s pass, though, and Arsenal get away with it. “Imagine that Wenger A team back 5 all aged between 28 and 32,” says David Acaster. “They might get a few games between them in this summer’s WC. I would swap Fabregas in for Petit. Imagine a passer like him making the bullets for Ljunberg, Bergkamp, Pires and Henry to fire. It would leave a lot of work for Vieira but they’d always score more than the opposition. Lovely player Petit mind.”
Petit was a senior player in a double-winning side. Fabregas won one FA Cup.
9 min: Monreal lopes into space down the left and wins another corner, Zabaleta cutting out his cross. Xhaka takes it again, an outswinger this time, and Koscielny rises above Kouyate and heads just wide of the right post. Joe Hart would not have saved it. Wenger turns away in disappointment. “Any chance Collins has a spare for Joe Hart?” parps Ian Sargeant.
Updated
7 min: Xhaka’s corner’s headed away at the near post. “Slightly surprised by your omission of Sanchez from your Wenger A and B teams,” says Fred Mikardo-Greaves. “I’d say he has the edge over Anelka. Thoughts?”
Anelka was a key player in a double-winning side. Sanchez was the best player in a team of underachievers. No contest.
6 min: Elneny’s pass deflects off Cresswell and goes behind for the first corner. Xhaka will take it. “Could not disagree more - Wenger saw tidal wave coming and Emirates was solution,” says George Meikle. “And I think it worked- it is basis for other revenue streams that feed off fan base. Horrible but necessary if you are going to be Top Four. My Chelsea are on way out - until the Bridge is redone, we won’t have clout needed. Winning comes after smart application of clout- both are required, just see Man City vs. Man U.”
Updated
5 min: I suppose Steve Bould could drop out.
@JacobSteinberg Kolo Toure, surely, in the B team?
— Travis Fickle (@VshnuPrshnth) April 22, 2018
4 min: Aaron Ramsey, who’s probably the best player in this Arsenal 11, goes on a power surge through the middle. But he’s crowded out by a posse of West Ham defenders.
3 min: James Collins, West Ham’s hamstrung centre-back, is in the away end this afternoon.
2 min: Correction: I see empty seats. That’s amazing. Why would you willingly miss this game?
Peep! Arsenal, in their red and white, get the game underway. They’re kicking from left to right in the first half. West Ham are in their navy away strip.
Here come the teams! The sun is shining on north London and there’s a fine atmosphere inside a packed Emirates. “Football should be an art” reads one banner. Can Arsenal find some of the old magic today? You’ll notice that there’s no room for any post-Invincible in my two Wenger 11s. That says it all.
Wenger’s A team: Seaman; Dixon, Campbell, Adams, Cole; Ljungberg, Petit, Vieira, Pires; Bergkamp, Henry.
Wenger B team: Lehmann; Lauren, Keown, Bould, Winterburn; Parlour, Gilberto, Fabregas, Overmars; Anelka, Wright.
I hate putting Overmars in the B team.
David Moyes speaks! “We’d like some more goals, but we have goals in the team. But we know we have to be hard to beat. I don’t think the announcement of Arsene leaving helps us. I would expect the supporters to get behind them. But we need to be ready for that. The only thing is they have a big semi-final coming up on Thursday. Make sure we get close to them when we can.”
“Am I the only person wondering why Benitez hasn’t been mentioned for the Arsenal job?” says Alex Brown.
Benitez is a very good outside shout (even though he seems to have no chance of getting it). He’d give Arsenal the organisation they so desperately need and, unlike Wenger, he has a good record in Europe. But he’s also a tricky character who’s prone to falling out with his bosses and he doesn’t really fit the profile of what Arsenal want.
“I’ll miss Arsène’s Frenchisms,” says Charles Antaki. “As articulate and admirably fluent as he was in English, he never quite untangled French from English grammar and idiom. Today’s “I want to do my job well until the end” and “I am in this job for a long time” are all too fitting valedictories.”
Look, Charles, we live in a society where people use top, top Frenchisms.
Arsene Wenger has had some memorable bouts with West Ham down the years. I’m thinking of an Overmars-led destruction in 1997; a penalty shootout victory with 10 men in the FA Cup in 1998; Di Canio versus 11 men in 1999; Henry’s thunderbolt at Upton Park in 2002; the Pardew shoving match; the Andy Carroll game in 2016; a memorable 0-0 draw at the London Stadium in December.
Updated
What’s today’s MBM riff? How about you ... send me your favourite memories of Nelson Vivas Arsene Wenger?
Thierry Henry is asked about whether he’ll throw his hat in the ring. “I am not in or out. I am nowhere. The other day I spoke with my heart because I love Arsenal. I will never back down from a challenge. But we have some people who should come out and talk about Arsenal Football Club. That’s not my job. My phone didn’t ring.” There is laughter. Gary Neville steps in to point out that Henry has a job as Belgium’s assistant coach. The former Manchester United defender says that Arsenal should be thinking about former players: your Henrys, your Bergkamps, your Artetas ... your Bendtners.
On Sky, Gary Neville and Thierry Henry both think that the situation has not been handled enough clarity. They are asking what’s coming next. Henry says there is too much speculation and has called for Arsenal’s board to tell the fans more.
And here’s David Hytner on what it was like to cover Arsene Wenger.
We’ve had some great content on this website since Friday. Here’s Daniel Taylor’s offering.
An email! “For all the well deserved praise for the positive things that Wenger brought to English football, we shouldn’t overlook some of the negative things that he at least emphasised, even if he didn’t introduce them,” David Wall says. “Consider the Emirates stadium for instance. Wenger was instrumental in pushing for the move , designing the stadium, and so on. But the crucial motivation behind that was a money-making one. At the time the move was planned arsenal were competitive, and far from suffering from the smaller capacity of Highbury against premier league rivals. But Wenger pushed against that, in favour of a stadium that prioritised matchday revenue rather than atmosphere. It’s not a big step from that to the targeting of a top four finish for the income it brings over actually trying to win anything, and so on. Of course, Wenger didn’t introduce the profit first motivation, but he certainly contributed to its prominence now.”
Arsene Wenger speaks! “First of all I am focused on the game. At the end of the day my job is to win the next game and we have to make a separation between the feelings and emotions that come with such a decision as well as with the job and I want to do my job well until the end. I am in this job for a long time. I have gone through very difficult times so you learn to deal with difficult situations.”
Arsenal’s manager is asked about his decision to step down with a year left on his contract. “I will come out on that a bit later but at the moment it is important to focus on what matters. That means the results in the next games. After the game we have another game. After the season maybe. I believe that what is interesting for people is to know who’s in charge of the club and team. I dedicate my whole life to making this club a solid club with strong foundations and I always said I want to leave the club with an opportunity for the new guy to come in to find a solid and ambitious club. I will focus on the game. My life is to win games. That is what I will do. I hope the team will deal with positive emotions. We have had some adversity and I think in last the games I would like the team to be supported well. We have had a good season at home. We want to finish the season well.”
Arsene Wenger is wandering around the corporate area at the Emirates and shaking a few hands. He’s smiling. He’ll have his serious face on soon enough, though, because there’s a game to be won. Arsenal need to react after last weekend’s defeat at Newcastle and Wenger has made a few changes. Petr Cech, Joe Willock, Calum Chambers, Rob Holding, Mohamed Elneny and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang drop out, David Ospina, Hector Bellerin, Laurent Koscielny, Aaron Ramsey and Danny Welbeck come in. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jack Wilshere are out and it seems that Mesut Ozil has been rested before Atletico Madrid on Thursday.
West Ham, who are six points above the bottom three, are unchanged. David Moyes, the man who will replace Wenger at the end of the season, keeps faith with Joe Hart despite the erstwhile England No1’s mistake against Stoke.
Team news
Arsenal: Ospina; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Xhaka, Elneny; Iwobi, Ramsey, Welbeck; Lacazette. Subs: Mertesacker, Aubameyang, Holding, Chambers, Maitland-Niles, Macey, Nelson.
West Ham: Hart; Rice, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Zabaleta, Kouyate, Noble, Masuaku; Fernandes, Joao Mario; Arnautovic. Subs: Carroll, Lanzini, Hugill, Adrian, Hernandez, Evra, Cullen.
Referee: Lee Mason
Updated
Preamble
He introduced Arsenal to pasta, broccoli and yoga. He took steak, chips, chocolate and beer off the menu. He arrived as a moderniser at one of England’s grandest old clubs, even though he’d come here from ... Japan. He gave them Patrick Vieira, Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit. And Gilles Grimandi! He gave them Nicolas Anelka for £500,000. Dennis Bergkamp’s hat-trick against Leicester. Ian Wright breaking Cliff Bastin’s goalscoring record. Overmars scoring at Old Trafford. Steve Bould sending Tony Adams through against Everton. Overmars and Anelka sealing the double against Newcastle at Wembley. Feuds with Ferguson. Clashes with Manchester United. Bergkamp’s penalty. Nobody bringing down Ryan Giggs at Villa Park. The greatest title race in Premier League history. Kanu against Tottenham. Kanu against Middlesbrough. Kanu against Chelsea. Thierry Henry for £10m. Penalties against Galatasary. Henry’s volley against United. The 6-1. Igors Stepanovs. Michael Owen in Cardiff. Nicking Sol Campbell off Spurs. Robert Pires against Aston Villa. Bergkamp against Newcastle. Bergkamp to Ljungberg, over and over again. Wiltooooorrrdddd! It’s only Ray Parlour. Another double. Henry’s run against Tottenham. A third FA Cup. Martin Keown consoling Ruud van Nistelrooy. Henry in the San Siro. Henry’s Liverpool hat-trick. 49 undefeated. The Invincibles. Pizzagate. Stealing the FA Cup off United. That night in the Bernabeu. Toppling Juventus. Riquelme’s penalty. Farewell Highbury, hello Emirates. Campbell’s header against Barcelona. Eto’o. Belletti. Almunia. Let’s end it there.
On days like this, after all, it’s better to remember the good times more than anything else. And Arsenal have known plenty under Arsene Wenger. Problem is, though, all good things have to come to an end at some point and the truth is this has been a long time coming. From 1996 until 2004, Wenger was one of the greatest managers English football has ever seen. The first part of his reign was so full of wonder that even neutrals look back on it fondly. Yet the second part, the post-Invincibles decline, has been maddening to watch and that is why there was no real surprise when the announcement came on Friday morning, even if the timing came as a jolt.
Of course, it sounds like Wenger would have carried on if he’d been given the chance. But Arsenal were finally prepared to be ruthless. The evidence had become impossible to ignore. Or, more pertinently, the empty seats had become impossible to ignore. It wasn’t the anger, the Wenger Out wars and the YouTube rants wot swung it, it was the apathy after years of stagnation, of seeing that intoxicating and innovative early blend of pace, power, authority, skill and ingenuity slowly give way to something softer and more delicate, an idealised version of Wengerball that ultimately proved too indulgent and unfocused. Title challenges fizzled out because the football was too careless and three FA Cups in four years, though enjoyable, only papered over the cracks. The league was even lost to Leicester in 2016 and it would be cruel to go over the various humiliations in the Champions League. The others caught up and then they overtook Wenger, leaving him looking like yesterday’s man and Arsenal out of their precious place in the top four. It was time. Change, at long last, is on the way.
But we can worry about what comes next later. We don’t have to worry about this not really being like United saying goodbye to Ferguson, who went out on the top. Not now. Today is a chance for Arsenal fans to remember the legend known as Le Professeur, for these underachieving players to pay tribute to their manager by hammering West Ham. With a Europa League semi-final against Atlético Madrid to come, there can still be a happy ending. It would be a fitting way to bow out. Because those with long enough memories will remember that there really was a time when Arsene Knew.
Kick-off: 1.30pm BST.
Updated
