There’s a fine line between glory and failure in football, and Arsenal know that all too well.
The Gunners saw their 2011 Champions League hopes ended by a contentious Robin van Persie red card, while a once-in-a-lifetime matchwinning performance denied them in the same competition seven years earlier.
And now we can add something else to the long list of near misses that critics will say simply show they lack the necessary quality at key moments.
Who would be top of the Premier League if every shot that hit the woodwork had gone in? You guessed it.
If all shots that have hit the woodwork had found the net, Arsenal would be top of the table. Unlucky? pic.twitter.com/6DMpy567k2
— Orbinho (@Orbinho) April 4, 2016
Arsene Wenger’s team have struck the post or bar some 19 times this season, while Spurs’ decline in this table is because they have been the beneficiaries of 18 shots which came back off the frame of the goal.
There’s no saving Aston Villa, though. The Premier League’s basement side would actually have four fewer points in this scenario, which suggests they’re not unlucky, they’re just plain bad.