The sticking plaster of Mikel Merino had lasted just seven days before the wound was pouring blood again.
His two well-taken finishes against Leicester only temporarily masked a problem the Arsenal board, Mikel Arteta, his players and supporters could all see hurtling in their direction after Kai Havertz’s season-ending hamstring injury earlier this month.
That is a gaping hole up front; an area which has been shunned in multiple transfer windows, and could now well haunt a third straight title-race heartbreak for the club this season.
The inability to bring in a striker leads directly to displays such as the one seen on Saturday.