And just like that, the dream was gone. One rush of blood to the head from Fabian Delph, one split-second of uncertainty in Kyle Walker’s mind and one majestic, sweeping finish from Will Grigg past an insignificant Claudio Bravo - an unprecedented quadruple left in tatters.
Nobody saw Manchester City’s defeat at Wigan coming, not even dyed-in-the-wool City fans conditioned from birth to fear the worst. But now the Premier League champions-elect must prepare to play for the first piece of silverware on offer this season somewhat preoccupied by another trophy they’ve already lost.
First and foremost, it’s imperative they wipe Monday’s setback from their minds before anyone can entertain ideas of this being a routine mission. And don’t assume it will be easy for the Sky Blues to brush that disappointment aside. It’s much more significant than Arsenal’s embarrassing defeat by Ostersunds three days later.
Don’t be under any illusions that the quadruple was never truly on the agenda, either. Pep Guardiola might have dismissed the notion incessantly but, in reality, circumstantial evidence was stacking up quite nicely. It didn’t require much imagination to envisage two pots in the bag by April, leaving just a seven-week assault on two remaining knockout competitions.
But that’s all by the bye now. This City team can still improve but they will probably never emerge from a demanding winter period with a better chance to clean up the way they might have done this season - and they know it. That Grigg finish merely serves to illustrate just how perfect the whole storm has to be.
The good news for City players here, though, is that they have a master in Guardiola when it comes to navigating finals. The Catalan has been involved in a dozen major showpiece events with Barcelona and Bayern Munich previously, and emerged triumphant from 11. And when you collect the anecdotal evidence, it's probably no coincidence.
Biographers and former players speak of a man who flips from tactical obsessive to soppy romantic on these occasions. Rather than bludgeon his men with instructions, he tugs at their heart strings with video montages set to well-chosen music, simultaneously ramping up the sense of occasion while injecting them with a timely shot of trust and belief.
Nonetheless, the widespread assumption that City will dispatch of the Gunners in routine fashion undervalues the occasion and overlooks the inherent call for patience in Guardiola's possession-based philosophy. Six of his 12 previous finals have gone to extra time and he’s needed a penalty shoot-out to get the job done twice.
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For Arsenal, the razzmatazz that greets their emergence from the tunnel won’t be remotely intimidating. This will be their 11th appearance at Wembley in less than four years and they played here only two weeks ago. That north London derby ended in disappointment, of course, but it doesn’t negate the nine triumphs that came before.
The Gunners should be well rested, having been absent from FA Cup duty for the past two rounds and served up with second-rate Swedish opposition in the Europa League. But when trying to build a case for them actually winning this game, it's hard to get over their sorry record of 26 points from the last 24 away games in the Premier League.
Nobody is disputing that City are clear favourites to lift the trophy, but the best-priced 8/13 on them completing the task in 90 minutes might be on the skinny side because ultimately that’s not the objective. Indeed, Delph’s moment of madness at the DW only brings home the potential cost of deviating from the plan and not having all your bases covered.
Pound for pound, the draw over 90 minutes looks the best play at 7/2 or bigger, along with a speculative punt on City to eventually make all of their territory and possession count with a decisive blow in extra time at 12/1.
In essence, it would be a repeat of the FA Cup semi-final last April, which Arsenal won 2-1 with an Alexis Sanchez goal beyond regulation time, only this time with City displaying the maturity to hold their nerve and remain in charge of their own destiny rather than be hostages to fate.
Recommended bets:
Draw at 18/5
Manchester City to win in extra time at 12/1
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