This was not Arsenal’s most exhilarating comeback of the past week, but it may prove significant nonetheless. They are in the box seat for a place in the Europa League quarter-finals, even if their performance hardly screamed of wild enthusiasm for a prolonged run. A competent display in the second leg would surely overcome a bright but limited Sporting.
A strange, patternless and sometimes alarmingly open game produced enough chances to remain engaging but Mikel Arteta’s players may now be thankful, whatever their public pronouncements, for the chance to focus on the challenge Fulham will pose in the latest leg of their Premier League tilt.
