When Real Madrid made their first appearance at the Emirates, the midfield was a spectacle of talent. England teammates Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice found themselves in an intense rivalry, more so than when they don the Three Lions on their shirts.
Bellingham's temper was evident when he nearly destroyed a VAR pitchside monitor with a furious kick after Real's last-minute defeat to Valencia at the weekend. His short fuse also led to him being substituted by new England coach Thomas Tuchel during a match against Latvia at Wembley last month.
However, as Bellingham ventured into Rice's territory, he found little success. On this unforgettable night in north London, there was no doubt who emerged victorious.
In the sporadic frenzy of an absorbing contest, Rice had already come closest in the first half, arriving late in the box only for his header to be parried away by there sprawling Thibaut Courtois.
Then the £105 million man whipped his free-kick around a poorly-aligned wall and the roof nearly came off English football's most celebrated library. Have some of that, Jude. Just for good measure, and to prove lightning does strike twice, Rice repeated the trick. Same whip, same distance, same top corner. Unbelievable.
Arsenal's title challenge may have faltered on their obsession with set piece efficiency, but Rice's pair of party pieces put his England colleague - and others - in the shade. Sitting deep in Real's midfield - so deep he would have been inconspicuous if it wasn't for his fluorescent captain's armband - was Luka Modric, the man Father Time forgot.
Modric, who used to grace Lilywhite heartlands just up the Seven Sisters Road, turns 40 in September, and the twinkle in his happy feet may finally be on the wane.
But during Arsenal's pulses of pressure, there was the Croatian maestro, dictating the tempo of Real's response like an orchestra conductor ordering the big brass section into line.
But in the Ashburton Grove aviary, perhaps the most striking plumage of all, the prettiest flamingo amid the frenzy, was Gunners captain Martin Odegaard - the man Real decided was surplus to requirements.
It was 10 years ago that a callow 16-year-old stepped off a flight from Oslo and was whisked straight to the Bernabeu to be unveiled as a baby Galactico in the arbitrary clothes he had thrown on at first light.
"I'm supposed to be this player that Real Madrid has beaten everyone to sign and I look like a random schoolkid they just pulled from the stadium tour," he recalled years later, grimacing at the memory.
Real's loss has been Arsenal's gain. They should do this more often - it was an enjoyable watch.
Remarkably, in a competition where the last eight is invariably a pageant of the usual suspects, the 15-times European Cup winners had only ventured up the Holloway Road once before - in 2006, when Arsenal were still in residence at Highbury.
A tight tie was settled in the first leg by Thierry Henry's nifty winner and David Beckham blinking first in his one-on-one with Jens Lehmann.
This one could yet be decided by fine margins, too. And whatever awaits them in the Spanish capital next week, Arsenal's birds of a feather will never forget the night Rice put the cat among the pigeons by bending it like Beckham.
Story Saved
You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
