Ousmane Dembélé, last matinee idol in Paris, finally delivers on big stage | Jonathan Liew

The forward, often seen as a remnant from the decadent PSG of old, scored the biggest goal of his career at Arsenal

For Paris Saint‑Germain, the final whistle arrived like an orchestral fanfare. Exhausted, sweat-drenched players sank to their knees; emotional embraces were shared; the knot of visiting fans in the south-east corner of the Emirates flung scarves in the air and noisily serenaded an epic, razor-thin triumph. It was at this point that Ousmane Dembélé re-emerged from the bench and strolled across the pitch, wearing flip-flops.

And as visual motifs go, this one felt pleasantly on the nose. Of course Dembélé’s work here was long since done: an early goal to settle the game before being withdrawn by Luis Enrique on 70 minutes with a hint of a knock. And yet, on a night defined by screeching and suffering, brusque tackles and hard lines, Dembélé somehow managed to elevate himself above the fracas, the only man playing the game on the easy setting.

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