There are four London-born players on the 30-man shortlist for this year’s Ballon d’Or, and three of them will be on the pitch when Arsenal meet Atalanta in northern Italy on Thursday night. You can probably guess two quite easily: Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are among the most recognisable faces in the European game.

Gabriel Martinelli swung a shot wide, and in a relatively scrappy game, it was Charles De Ketelaere who had Atalanta's best chance in the first half - but his finessed effort went harmlessly wide and a drab first half drew to a close.