It is one thing to dismantle Real Madrid, the European champions, in a two-leg knockout tie. It is another thing entirely to do so without a recognised striker, without arguably your best central defender and with a teenager at left-back who had never even played in defence before this season.

Ray Parlour has urged Arsenal to use their superb Champions League performance against Real Madrid as a catalyst to help convince two key players to extend their contracts with the club. Arsenal produced one of their great performances under Mikel Arteta as Gabriel Martinelli’s injury-time winner secured a famous 2-1 win at the Bernabeu and a 5-1 aggregate victory to knock out the defending champions.