Arsenal fans fled the Emirates Stadium after Brighton's second goal made defeat inevitable. On a radiant spring Sunday afternoon, a bird's-eye television shot over north London captured a rather spectacular sight: thousands of Arsenal fans marching randomly through the streets, having driven them in early from the Emirates. To the untrained eye, this would look like a show of collective disgust, befitting a club heading towards relegation rather than a club with 81 points and guaranteed Champions League football for the first time in six years.
Naturally, the average season ticket price of £2,025 gives these fans the prerogative to do as they please, even if from afar it smacks of a distorted perspective. But a dose of perspective is hard to come by for all those who dare to dream. Arsenal have led 93% of this Premier League campaign, far more than even in the 2002-03 or 2007-08 seasons when they were beaten by two brilliant Manchester United teams. For now, the confidence that second place won't sweeten the pill, that neither side in this century has been a league leader for longer and lost.
It's cruel, the suddenness with which Arsenal's bubble burst. Just 16 weeks ago, a stroll through London's N7 dorms revealed a heady mood when Eddie Nketiah, who won in the 90th minute against United, secured a five-point lead with a game in hand and instilled confidence that the title could, with a glorious improbability, be them. Fast forward to May when Brighton trashed the houses and the final vision was exposed as the cruelest mirage ever.
The market reflects this harsh reality. Tickets for the last home game of the season against Wolverhampton the following Sunday were once selling for £53,000. Today you can buy it for £165, with May 28 no longer circled as a likely coronation date, but as a salute to a team that far exceeded expectations but stumbled when the grand prize beckoned.
Against this backdrop, one can understand the mood at Arsenal, a mixture of devastation and fatalism, manifested in the decision of some to change the pain of the Brighton account for a grim rush to the Piccadilly line. But it would be wise not to turn your back on this team just yet. For the reality is that Arsenal not only do not lose, but also significantly exceed even the trajectory that they have set for themselves.
While Vinay Venkatesham, the club's chief executive, modestly offered too many details, he claimed earlier this year that Arsenal were following a «very clear plan». They knew their vision was for incremental but decisive improvement, where they first make sure they qualify for the Champions League, then make sure they regularly finish in the top four, and then finally win their first league title since 2004. , thanks to Mikel Arteta's inspired tactics and Martin Odegaard's lockpicking experience in midfield, were polished much sooner than anyone would have thought.
All this makes it even more irrational that such a huge number of fans left their seats on Sunday before the final whistle. It was odd to hear Martin Keown blame the exodus on «the transportation infrastructure around the stadium» given that Emirates is a 15-minute walk from three different metro stations. This suggests the club's legend is desperate to find the nearest excuse available, given that two weeks earlier he ranted about Everton fans «surrendering» and «hacking» as some headed for the exit during the loss to Newcastle with score 4: 1
The scenes in Arsenal, frankly, were less justified. While Everton are just a point above the bottom three, Arsenal are 15 points ahead of nearest rival Newcastle. The cold reality is that many fans left in a fit of annoyance that the title quest that promised so much finally hit the buffers. And that the Arsenal players, no matter how badly they played, deserved better in the penultimate home match of a great season than to witness a mass strike.
They defied predictions, recovered from setbacks, won repeatedly after falling behind. and conjured up many masterful shots in stoppage time. Also, given that the average age of the team is 25 years old, fans should remember that Arteta still has a lot to grow. They should remember how when Reiss Nelson scored his 96th-minute winner against Bournemouth at the Emirates, not a soul left the building. How quickly the mood can change. But in a moment of deepest despondency, Arsenal deserved to be accepted, not abandoned prematurely.
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