After the scrap came the beating. If Mikel Arteta intended to set an example for combat via his scuffle with Jurgen Klopp, something failed to cross that white line.
On the pitch his players went on from that rumble at 0-0 to endure a painful and prolonged reminder that some levels of this game remain out of Arsenal’s reach.
The fact that they have been going well is evident by their numbers, but just as their unbeaten run of 10 started on the back of a trouncing by a big club, against Manchester City, so it was ended by one in Liverpool.