Bill Shankly famously said: “Some people believe
Football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
In a year where a global pandemic has halted and contextualised sport, we have been reminded time and time again that, in reality, football does not matter. However, in an icy-cold Academy Stadium, in the critical game between an
Arsenal side second at kick off and fourth-placed
Manchester City, the importance of the result, a last-gasp 2-1 win for City, felt a world away, but the importance of football more broadly and the role it can play could be felt as strong as ever.