Three goals, a clean sheet, an opponent thoroughly dominated: what more could any of us asked for?
Of course, three points is the only real target from any league game but consistency, stability, vivacity – these are all bonuses that point towards a team in form and in control.
There’s a lot more ground to cover before we can say our Premier League title bid is back on track but this was as good a start as we could have hoped for, particularly after a gruelling run of games that come with its fair share of body blows.
But those matches are yesterday’s news and we can celebrate something that looks like the Arsenal side we have known for the last two seasons again.
Central to that, it seems, is the presence of Martin Odegaard. With every week, I am more certain that this man is vital to how we play football and the decision not to bring in sufficient cover for him in the symmer was a reckless gamble. Without him, there is nothing that links the attack and defence with the same style, with the same ability, dynamism and technical ability.
He brings an extra 25 per cent to the table and it was very much in evidence against Forest, a side in form even if it is early in the season. From start to finish, we made them look utterly ordinary.
Bear in mind also that the manager opted for a lot of rotation in his starting lineup, with Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz all rested. That was a gamble in and of itself.
In the event, it didn’t seem to matter much. Our midfield was utterly in control and Forest had no answer. The only disappointment was that we had only one goal to show for our efforts in the first half because we were worth a good deal more.
The second half was unusual in that we saw Mikel make a series of unforced changes – I believe they call it squad management (a real novelty for Arsenal watchers). Not only did Havertz, Rice and Martinelli get the night off entirely, there was some rest for Odegaard, Saka, Partey and Calafiori. Unprecedented.
But even with such upheaval, and a fair few changes to the visitors’ side too, Arsenal were unfazed. So in control were they that two substitutes, Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri, combined to score our third goal. It was nicely-worked and looked very much as if both had been on the pitch from the outset.
In truth, there wasn’t much of anything to grumble about and that’s felt rare in the last month or two. If Arteta has craved some stability and a fuller squad to chose from, he certainly has his wish. The challenge now is to keep them all fit and focussed as we head into the busy winter schedule. It’s time to put some points on the board!
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