How Arsenal's lowest moment accidentally set them on the path back to the top

Arsenal’s 8-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 28 August 2011 created intense pressure for change. Arsene Wenger remained in charge for seven more years, and the club responded in the transfer window after the Sunday match, with Deadline Day arriving on Wednesday. Arsenal agreed a deal with Everton to sign Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta, a move that was not universally celebrated by fans. Arteta and Per Mertesacker added experience to a young squad, and the team finished third. Over time, Arteta became a reliable midfield performer, became club captain, won FA Cups, and retired in 2016.

"That dark day in Arsenal's history, almost 15 years ago now, was of course the famous 8-2 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Most managers would quite possibly have been sacked on the spot after that, but, somewhat remarkably, Arsene Wenger would carry on in the job for a further seven years. But it was what he did in the days after the defeat that ended up setting Arsenal onto a different path, with the heavy defeat putting the club under immense pressure to carry out some late summer transfer window spending."

"That defeat came on a Sunday, while Deadline Day was on Wednesday. Arsenal left it late, but eventually agreed a deal with Everton to sign Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta. Mikel Arteta the most influential panic buy ever? Arteta had been a solid player for Everton, and not someone they'd have wanted to lose, but most Arsenal fans were probably not that over the moon about the deal."

"Still, he and Per Mertesacker came in to add a bit more experience to a youthful Arsenal side that had just taken such an almighty battering, and they proved successful as that team eventually finished third. In the following years, Arteta became a reliable performer in Arsenal's midfield, eventually becoming club captain and lifting a couple of FA Cups before retiring in 2016. He was no Patrick Vieira or Cesc Fabregas, but Gooners had warmed to him, and gave him a fond farewell in his final appearance at the Emirates Stadium at the end of the 2015/16 season."

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