AS PEPE stepped up to take his penalty with his side 2-0 down and a man down with only 17 minutes left I tweeted that Arsenal’s season was "here and now."

Miss that pressure-laden spot-kick and lose the first leg of the Europa League semi-final 2-0 — and the chances of overturning that chasm of a deficit were slim to none, and like everyone knows, slim just left town.

But score, and you grab a lifeline and genuine hope. Not least because 2-1 is the result that has most been overturned on aggregate across 60+ years of European competition. Why? Because the side playing at home in the second leg have the crucial away goal – which is all-important in continental football.