I very much doubt that I shall ever again witness a goal celebrated by everyone in the stadium except the scorer himself. Surreal. Eduardo was as good as his pre-match word, as we all knew he would be if called upon. It was the perfect evening; great performance and result, with a cameo appearance by our returning hero. And we should be grateful that he was spared the humiliation bestowed on Shakhtar’s starting XI. Make no mistake, these were no muppets, though after the goalkeeping error from which we opened our account they were made to look so. Was Arsene miffed at conceding two late consolation goals on Tuesday? I’d love to know. Yes, two. Earlier, at our London Colney training ground, 10-man West Ham United Reserves scored a penalty at the death in a behind-closed doors 4-1 defeat that puts ever greater distance between fans and players. Doubly regrettable.

Amazingly, the visit of Shakthar was our eighth win in 12 games this season but the first against a side whose name does not start with a “B”. In chronological order, our previous victims were: Blackpool, Blackburn, Bolton, Braga, Bloody Spurs, Belgrade and Birmingham.

Selection problems aplenty lie ahead for Arsene. Does he recall Almunia on Sunday for the recently faultess Fabianski? We did not miss the substituted Cesc; the game’s two best goals were scored within five minutes of his departure. How will Ramsey, now nearing fitness, get a look in? Turning it around, perhaps we can cope more than adequately if our talismanic Catalan goes home next June, assuming Barcelona can afford him. He may decide to stay and fight for his place.

And what of our other World Cup finalist; he of the glass ankles? Dropping the instant success that is Marouane Chamakh would be highly controversial and deeply unpopular. Denilson was, until recently, a regular starting fixture; now he struggles to make even the bench. If Jack’s good enough to start for Arsenal he’s good enough to start for England. Conversely, Theo is good enough to start for England but is he good enough to start for Arsenal? Just think of Arsene’s headaches if he had a strong squad from which to choose, rather than the wafer-thin one regularly lamented by the “Arsene Must Go” brigade.