When the line-ups were announced, a little bit of me thought, why wasn’t I organized enough to get down the bookies and put a hatful on a home win? I read somewhere that Mark Hughes’ team were evens for a victory in 90 minutes. Of course, Arsenal have embarrassed supposedly stronger line-ups before in this competition, but not so often away from the comforts of home.

A mix of things did for the team – sloppiness in possession, rank poor defending and some clinical finishing on City’s part. Arsenal rarely made the opposition keeper work and the lack of familiarity in the line-up meant they only sporadically got into any kind of rhythm. And in fairness to the younger players, some of the Gunners’ poor play was down to more established pros who should know better. Rosicky, Song and Silvestre hardly covered themselves in glory when the goals are analysed.

5,000 fans made the trip to support Wenger’s team. Surely in hope rather than expectation. It wasn’t quite as bad as the capitulation at Old Trafford in the 2008 FA Cup, but it still made for a miserable trip home. Pundits will talk of three defeats in four and a crisis at the club, but this competition should always be viewed in isolation and unrepresentative of Arsenal’s form. Yet in the defending there were certainly echoes of the first choicers’ inability to work as a unit from back to front.

What disappointed me at the end was Wenger’s refusal to shake hands with Mark Hughes. He should be bigger than that. Sure City were competitive and there is history with Mark Hughes managed teams, but I don’t consider they were over the top. Certainly not enough to warrant the manager’s full-time hissy fit.

Where do the club go from here? Three stiff Premier League challenges await, with the trip to Greece purely another chance for most of those on display last night to give a better account of themselves. But Stoke, Liverpool and Burnley are the ones that matter. And there is a horrible danger it might get worse before it gets better. Arsenal do not look as resilient as they did in their opening matches of the season. Where has that competitive edge and hungry work rate gone? It’ll be needed in spades before Christmas.