A sense of déjà vu seems to be settling over Arsenal once again. This familiar feeling has haunted the team in their last three campaigns, often contributing to their runner-up finishes.

When the stakes are highest and there is no room for mistakes, Arsenal has a tendency to falter at critical moments.

The pressure of having gone six years without a trophy, coupled with the 22-year gap since their last league triumph, is undeniably burdensome.

In the lead-up to the match, Mikel Arteta encouraged the team to be ready, telling them to bring their “lunch and dinner” and arrive early. Yet, for those who attended, it seems their appetites were lost amid the action on the field.

The sheer number of unforced errors by Arsenal was staggering and arguably reached a season-high during this match. Mistake followed mistake, leaving observers puzzled as to how such a talented squad could falter so profoundly after a promising start to the season.

Mikel Arteta had yesterday urged them to bring their ‘lunch and dinner and get to the game early’. Those who followed suit will have likely discarded their dinner in the stands

The pressure-cooker atmosphere at the Emirates is clearly being felt by the players and the boos rung out at full-time

Even Martin Zubimendi, typically known for his composure, repeatedly lost possession, with passes either going out of play or directly to opponents.

Gabriel kicked the ball into a team-mate at the back, William Saliba slipped in one instance which nearly created an opportunity, and Kai Havertz languidly made errant passes.

Then the typically steady David Raya made two errors which typified it all: he first attempted a bizarre outside-of-the-boot pass which deflected off Evanilson’s leg; that could have rebounded into the goal or set the striker up.

Minutes later, he tried a risky pass to Zubimendi, which he just about got away with.

On the errors, instead of defending his players, Arteta was frank. He said: ‘We were far from efficient. The first chance they had to attack the box, it’s a deflection, a bad defending action and it’s a goal.

‘That’s something we have to recover from. The second half you expect a different game. We did a lot of strange things today.’

It was the unravelling of a team crippled by nerves and anxiety, seeping both ways to and from the stands.

The numbers were damning. Arsenal recorded an open-play xG of 0.19 – their second-lowest in a game this season, beating the 0.17 vs Crystal Palace in October 2025.

The typically steady Raya made two jaw-dropping errors – both of which nearly led to goals

Make no mistake, the situation the Gunners find themselves in would test the mettle of any side. The pressure is suffocating, the consequences ultimate.

The next week features a Champions League quarter-final second leg against Sporting Lisbon and a crunch, be-all or end-all game with Manchester City at the Etihad next Sunday.

There’s no hiding place. The time to find out whether Arsenal really have the cojones to win a league title is upon us.

ARTETA’S WHITE PROBLEM 

When the Arsenal team-sheet was announced an hour before kick-off, the anticipation around the Emirates grew further.

For a squad shorn of Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Odegaard, risks had to be taken in selection.

From looking at the sheet, the big gaping areas open to exploit appeared to be the full-back pairing of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White.

Lewis-Skelly had only made one league start in the season — against Brighton on December 27 — and White’s lacklustre display in the midweek victory over Sporting Lisbon had been a concern. On that night, it was his right flank the Portuguese side targeted — and that continued here.

Andoni Iraola had moved Eli Junior Kroupi from up front to White’s right flank, almost in retaliation to make hay in a position Arsenal were clearly fallible.

And it worked, White failing to track his man in the build-up to Kroupi’s goal, Adrien Truffert free to cross the ball to the attacker.

The full back has had a torrid time with injury, playing through pain in previous seasons to stay available.

Yet he is off the boil and a liability at present. On a more promising note, Lewis-Skelly showed good signs.

The way he wriggled past players in close proximity and progressed the ball forward reflected the talent he showed in his breakout campaign last season.

Going forward, Cristhian Mosquera as a makeshift right back in place of White could be a shrewd move while Timber recovers.