The minutes burned fast, the game becoming a tangle of sprinting bodies, snapping tackles, and heavy legs.
No space was given freely; every inch of the pitch was a battlefield.
Yet, slowly, almost imperceptibly, Arsenal began to stitch themselves back into the rhythm of the game and all could see the reason for Arsenal's change.
Izan, quietly but deliberately began leaving his footprints all over the match.
He pressed when needed,and made himself available in the right moments, never demanding the ball with noise,but with movement.
The kind of movement a good teammate feels without needing to look.
A small combination with Zinchenko near the touchline.
A clever shield against Bentancur's pressure, letting the ball roll across his body before releasing it simple and clean.
A sudden sprint forward when Porro dared switch off for half a second.
Arsenal felt it — a pulse quickening across the team.
Ødegaard started finding gaps again.
