Mikel Arteta barely celebrated Arsenal’s last-gasp heroics against Leicester City. Has the Gunners boss finally learned to walk on the mild side, asks IAN HERBERT

There was a time when a vital goal like Arsenal‘s, in the death throes of a game, would have sent Mikel Arteta barrelling gleefully down the touchline.

It was not to everyone’s liking. Graeme Souness, for one, respectfully suggested on these pages a few seasons back that he might want to tone things down.

That was then. Arteta was the soul of sobriety when Leandro Trossard‘s 94th-minute deflected shot killed off Leicester, with no theatrics impeding a final mustering of Arsenal’s coaching team while the Emirates basked in euphoria.

We were witnessing the evolution of a manager looking to walk on the mild side now, reducing the pointlessly expended energy.

Events at the Etihad, and in the aftermath of that febrile match a little over a week ago, have got in the way of that mission, of course. Not so much the barbed post-match exchanges as Arteta’s observation 48 hours later, on the subject of City ‘dark arts’: ‘I was there for four years. I have all the information. I know. Believe me.’

The Spaniard barely celebrated Arsenal’s late winner to overcome Leicester at the Emirates

An own goal from Wilfried Ndidi in the 94th minute helped Arsenal wrap up a vital three points

City, defending themselves against Premier League charges of false accounting, were keenly waiting Arteta’s response to Guardiola’s public demand that he explain what Machiavellianism he seemed to be referring to. The evidence of the Amazon Prime All or Nothing documentary filmed at City in the 2017-18 season suggests one relatively innocent explanation.

Arteta, then Guardiola’s No 2, is seen telling City midfielders David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan to ‘make fouls if there is a transition’.

Any Arteta response to Guardiola’s demand for clarification seemed to carry risks, given how prone Arsenal seem to have become to causing City offence. Director Tim Lewis leaving his Etihad seat without acknowledging City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak was viewed as a snub. Lewis doesn’t see it that way.

But the manager did address the festering sore in the aftermath of a 4-2 victory — rising above the catcalling in a way which ought to put things to bed for now. ‘I love Pep,’ he said. ‘I have admired him since I was 10 years old. When I say that I know them, I mean I know how hard they work.’

Not everyone will be convinced but this was eloquent. In the moment, Arteta’s spoken English — far superior to Guardiola’s — served him very well.

So did his players. Had Arsenal drawn with Leicester, the stage would not have been set for Arteta to arrive at the press conference praising his team’s capacity to deal with ’emotion’, before tackling Citygate.

He was speaking in the knowledge that his side had revealed the same sangfroid as City, in picking a route through a poor Leicester side’s flat back nine at the death.

‘I’m pleased with how we dealt with that situation. Emotionally super in control, very clear on what we have to do,’ Arteta said after Kai Havertz’s goal wrapped things up.

German forward Kai Havertz wrapped up all three points as he scored Arsenal’s fourth

Arteta worked as an assistant coach to Pep Guardiola (right) at Manchester City and knows their tricks

For once, there was no set-piece goal and evidence that Arsenal will need extraordinary consistency to compensate for lacking an Erling Haaland, or any striker near his sphere, in their building.

Havertz missed a number of opportunities, though Mads Hermansen’s display did most to keep Arsenal out after James Justin had scored twice.

Arteta was asked if his team had taken encouragement from City being held at Newcastle before Arsenal played. He didn’t take the bait. ‘It’s the sixth game in the Premier League, you know? We are in September,’ he replied.

Someone observed all this intensity makes it feel like March in the season, not September.

February 1, when the verdict of City’s independent commission should be imminent, is the date of their scheduled arrival at the Emirates and, for all Arteta’s success in taking the temperature down, there will be scores to settle. As rivals to City go, Arsenal are the new Liverpool. Arteta v Guardiola will never be the same again.