At times, as Arsenal’s players flickered in and out of focus during a traumatic second half in Munich, it was almost possible beneath the roars and whoops and gurgles of a sated home crowd to hear the sound of something else. Departures, farewells, changing trains, a little distant exit applause.
For 15 first‑half minutes this Champions League last 16 first leg had swung wildly on its axis. From 1-0 down Arsenal were led back into the game by a passage of thrillingly angry, high-energy centre-forward play from Alexis Sánchez, who became briefly an embodiment of that howling late‑Wenger dissatisfaction at the familiarity of all this – the same script, the same-old not-quite – a man who simply was not going to take it. Sánchez scored a fine goal, led from the front, spooked Mats Hummels and generally held back the tide.
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