When he addressed the Arsenal squad before kick-off at Goodison Park Mikel Arteta left his squad in no doubt that he would be closely inspecting their mental approach to proceedings on the pitch just as much as their technical quality.
Inevitably there will have been one man who stood out ahead of the rest even on a day where few Arsenal players disgraced themselves. But then it ought to be no surprise that Bukayo Saka's mentality shone through; the 18-year-old has consistently impressed senior figures at north London with a maturity that belies his years.
From the outset it should be noted that Saka's sojourn at left-back, a position he had previously played only at international level with the England youth teams, was not necessarily one he relished. Freddie Ljungberg noted as much after the 2-2 draw with Standard Liege where the youngster was forced to fill in first at wing-back and then in a defensive quartet.
"I think he was a bit upset with me before the game that he had to play wing-back and then full-back! He doesn't like it so much."
Yet there has been no iota of complaint from Saka on the training ground since as he has been thrown in at the deep end twice, first again Manchester City and then Everton. Neither performance has been faultless and in the latter he was perhaps lucky to avoid a red card for a high boot in the 55th minute that nearly connected with Dominic Calvert-Lewin's face.
It was the sort of moment that might have cowed many a youngster but not Saka, whose influence on the contest at Goodison Park only grew as the game wore on. Over half of the passes he attempted into the final third came in the second half as were the majority of his progressive runs, defined by Wyscout as runs that advance possession into the final third.
In short as the game wore on and the stakes grew, with the potential impact of every mistake greater, Saka showed himself to be more willing to push forward and take ownership of the situation.
That is typical of Saka, who stands out among the premier talents at Arsenal not just for his talent but for his attitude. Granit Xhaka desribed him as "respectful, very hard-working and always willing to learn" whilst Under-18s head coach Ken Gillard said "his biggest attribute is his great attitude and willingness to work hard every single day".
Those are just the attributes Arteta wants to see in his squad, as Bernd Leno relayed after the draw at Goodison Park: "He just said he wants to see players who run, who support their team-mates, who defend the goal or in general play as a team."
They are also Saka's calling cards. His natural talent is indisputable but his composure under pressure has long stood out at academy level just as it now is with the first team.
Arteta is certain to take notice.
