It was always going to be a balancing act for Arsenal in the second Europa League quarter-final against CSKA Moscow, with a 4-1 lead almost securing progress but the other midweek games offering a telling reminder of what can happen in football.
To be fair to Arsene Wenger, the warnings did not go ignored as he selected the strongest possible side. And for most of the first half it was all going according to plan, but then a couple of great chances for the Gunners went begging and a goal for Moscow changed the mood and by half time we were hanging on and biting our nails.
I think the boss got his tactics right, though, as the attacking options we had seemed sure to get that away goal that would seal the deal. The problem was that the likes of Ozil, Ramsey, Lacazette and Wilshere could not get anything going.
The second CSKA goal just five minutes after the break really got us worried, not least the players who struggled to cope and looked like crumbling. I was just thinking about how much Arsenal were missing Xhaka when his replacement, Elneny, pulled off an absolute dream of a pass to assist Welbeck to score that crucial goal.
Danny started and finished the move with real skill and great desire and the importance of it with 15 potentially horrible minutes to play is impossible to measure. It was a fantastic piece of play from the two which perhaps shows that we do possess the character that we need to succeed.
After that the result was never in doubt. Ramsey scored late on to give us a draw we scarcely deserved but the Gunners are through and will find out our semi-final opponents tomorrow. COYG