Arsene Wenger made it a Christmas to remember by returning to Emirates Stadium for the first time in over four years on Boxing Day.
The legendary former manager, 73, left the Gunners at the end of the 2017/18 season after 22 years at the helm. The Frenchman won three Premier League titles and the FA Cup on seven occasions during his time at Highbury and the Emirates.
Despite his vast success while transforming Arsenal - and English football on a broader level - Wenger left under a cloud after the north Londoners finished outside the top four for two consecutive seasons. He became FIFA's chief of global football development after leaving the Gunners and previously admitted he had no plans to come back to attend matches.
However, in images which were lapped up by the Arsenal faithful, Wenger was seen in attendance on Boxing Day as Arsenal returned to Premier League action against West Ham. His first sighting at the Emirates in four-and-a-half years came after Mikel Arteta - who replaced Wenger's successor, Unai Emery - extended the olive branch.
"Hopefully we can bring him close because I think he would have a great time just seeing the environment that he can create around him when he's around this place," Arteta said of Wenger last season. "That is because of the respect, admiration and love that everybody at the club has for what he's done and for what he represents as a person in this club."
While Wenger may have returned to the Emirates of his own volition rather than at Arteta's invitation, his sighting in north London was a momentous occasion. Unfortunately for the former Monaco boss - and the 60,000 supporters in the stadium - Arsenal found themselves trailing at half-time thanks to Said Benrahma's penalty.
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The Algerian forward put the visitors ahead from 12 yards against the run of play after William Saliba brought down Jarrod Bowen on the counter-attack. Benrahma hammered his penalty down the middle to silence the home faithful, who had watched their side dominate proceedings up to that point.
The setback put Arsenal's title credentials to the test, as they came into the match five points clear at the top of the Premier League table. Arteta has spoken of his desire to add new faces during the January transfer window, especially following Gabriel Jesus' knee injury, which will rule him out for a number of months.
Against the Irons, Arsenal lined up with Eddie Nketiah as the centre-forward, supported by the regular trio of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli. Wenger - a key proponent of developing promising talents - will have been delighted with the youthful line-up, but not the half-time score.
