Arsenal 5-1 Man City LIVE RESULT: Five-star Gunners rip City to shreds in statement win to keep title hopes alive

A little over an hour had gone at the Emirates when Myles Lewis-Skelly saw his shot nestling in the back of the Manchester City net. It was the critical moment in the humbling of the champions that was fast unfolding.

The stadium rose deliriously to the kid who is one of their own and he ran to the corner flag, sat down and crossed his legs. He stayed there, a smile on his face, imitating the meditation position favoured by Erling Haaland, the City player Arsenal fans love to hate.

He held the pose for a few seconds, milking it. It was wonderful, uproarious theatre, the kind that football thrives upon. This was his first senior goal but not only is he the future of this club, he is box-office, too.

He is still only 18 years old but he is packing a lot in to his first season in the first team. When the two teams met at the Etihad in September, Lewis-Skelly was booked before he even got on to the pitch. He is a young man in a hurry. He is a mesmerising talent.

Gary Neville said, as he commentated on the game, that Lewis-Skelly is ‘lighting up the league’ and he is right. He has got the kind of star quality that is priceless, the kind of quality that will give Arsenal and their fans hope that they might yet overhaul Liverpool.

City, a shadow of the team that they once were, do not have anyone like Lewis-Skelly. They do not have anyone like Ethan Nwaneri, who scored Arsenal’s fifth, and best, goal, either. They sold the best of their young talent and now they are paying a heavy price.