In the high-pressure environment of a Champions League quarter-final, we produced exactly the kind of response Mikel Arteta would have demanded following our FA Cup exit just days ago. A 1-0 victory over Sporting CP at the Estádio José Alvalade gives us a crucial advantage heading into the second leg at the Emirates.
The match was a tactical chess game from the start. Both sides hit the bar inside the opening 15 minutes, and for long spells there was nothing between them. Martín Zubimendi had the ball in the net in the second half, only for VAR to rule it out for an offside against Viktor Gyökeres in the build-up. David Raya had to make two important saves to keep it level.
Then, in the first minute of stoppage time, the finishers decided it. Gabriel Martinelli, on from the bench, slid the ball to fellow substitute Kai Havertz, who guided a composed finish home.
"Very happy to win away from home in the quarter-finals of the Champions League against a team that have not lost at home for I don't know how long," said Arteta, whose side had just ended a run of 16 straight home wins for Sporting.
He knew where we fell short too: "We had a goal disallowed and there were two or three occasions where we were close, but we lacked that final pass. In the end, a magic moment from the finishers won us the game."
On the bench that keeps deciding these nights: "It's been the story of the season, how important the finishers have been for us, to achieve what we want. And today, all of them - Gabi came on and made a huge impact; Kai the same; Max the same."
A clean sheet and a one-goal lead to take home. One step closer to the semi-finals.
Man of the Match: Kai Havertz. Off the bench, one touch that mattered, and a quarter-final tie tilted our way.