The expectation hangs heavy on the air here. You could sense it among those processing up to the ground in the early evening under a sublime azure sky. The cherry blossom was in bloom on the Caledonian Road but it’s hard to take in the beauty when football hope hurts.

There was a hint in Leverkusen last week of the jeopardy this opposition posed — it took a very questionable penalty to find parity late on — and the Germans had been getting their digs in yesterday, just as they did back then.

Leverkusen posted an image of a bucket of touchline paint and no white line where the corner should be taken. ‘That’s better!’ read the caption.

But the German side hadn’t reckoned on the man with the touch of brilliance in his yellow boots, pivoting around a ball he controlled with his left to send home a shot with his right which sent waves of relief washing down over this place.

It was Eberechi Eze’s intuition and spatial awareness which took the breath away in that moment. He did not even look up to take aim before powering the ball into the top corner.

Eze played it deadpan when he scored, holding out the Arsenal badge and pointing out his belief that a higher power was at play, yet the look on his face spoke of relief too. He has his imperfections — conceding possession more than once when running with the ball at his feet — but has that finishing power whose absence can feel like an Achilles heel for Arsenal.

Eberechi Eze’s first Champions League goal helped Arsenal book a place in the quarter-finals

Eze fired in on the half-volley from outside the box to give Arsenal the lead over Bayer Leverkusen

But Arsenal had something to say about their own football aesthetic as they advanced to a quarter-final against Sporting Lisbon. The first half, in particular, firmly deconstructed the idea which has taken hold that Arsenal’s football is not a thing of beauty. To go with the aerial threat they brought there was also some wonderful interplay.

There was Bukayo Saka working in the small pockets to carve out two chances for Leandro Trossard. There was Martin Zubimendi, the sentinel, driving through the central areas to feed the advancing Piero Hincapie. And, perhaps most impressive of all, there was the old intuition snapping back in between Ben White and Saka, even though White has barely featured this season. The two have appeared in the same Arsenal side only twice this calendar year.

Gabriel’s two leaps to Saka’s corners — meeting one with his shoulder; the conventional Arsenal — were almost peripheral but could have put Arsenal ahead. Leverkusen keeper Janis Blaswich was outstanding amid this early onslaught.

An instinctive block with his shin when Saka fed back to Trossard from the byline was the best of three fine first half saves. Briefly, as Arsenal held that one-goal lead approaching the hour mark, the stadium stilled again and the tension that goes with a one-goal Arsenal lead, these days, took hold.

That was when the stellar player of this group stepped up. Declan Rice had a moment to compute his angles when accelerating to take on stray ball, arcing around Robert Andrich a shot which grazed the upright on its way in.

All night, Rice looked to advance and join the attack. Should Arsenal lift the silverware they aspire to, he is a contender for the Ballon d’Or as this country’s outstanding club footballer.

Declan Rice doubled Arsenal’s advantage in the second half, bending an effort into the corner

Rice’s effort ensured Arsenal eased through to the last eight for a third straight season

Kai Havertz, arriving from the bench, was penalised after bundling the ball in.

The Germans, urged on by an indefatigable fanbase, found more possession as the game wore on but Arsenal stood firm.

Twenty years on from the heartbreak of defeat to Barcelona in the Paris final remembered for Jens Lehmann’s dismissal, this trophy is within Arsenal’s grasp. They are on course to meet the Catalans at the semi-final stage.

But there is a more immediate benefit: the confidence this performance provides ahead of a monumental game against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

‘We’re the famous Arsenal FC and we’re going to Wembley,’ the Emirates faithful sang, as the anxiety dissolved for a while.