Arsenal appear condemned to a seventh season without a trophy after their FA Cup challenge came to an inglorious end with a 2-0 loss to Sunderland in the fifth round.
Arsene Wenger had uncharacteristically ripped into his players following their humiliating 4-0 defeat to AC Milan on Wednesday and had hoped to provoke a reaction in an attempt to salvage something from a disastrous season.
However, in another desperately disappointing performance, and with three players succumbing to injury in a worryingly familiar narrative, Arsenal were beaten by a 40th-minute strike from Kieran Richardson and then an own goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with 12 minutes remaining.
With a title challenge no longer on the agenda and a second leg against Milan looking like a hopeless exercise, Arsenal’s under-fire manager and his under-performing players surely have only fourth place remaining as an objective following this latest setback in a season full of acute disappointment.
1-0
2-0