After the pandemonium off the field, Arsenal’s delayed Europa League opener against Cologne just about proved worth the wait as Sead Kolasinac, Alexis Sanchez and Hector Bellerin secured a 3-1 win.
An outstanding 45-yard lob from Jhon Cordoba had given the visitors, whose supporter base had been swollen by hundreds of Germans posing as home fans, an early lead but Arsenal’s switch to 4-2-3-1 at half-time paid dividends as they began their sojourn in Europe’s second tier with a win.
Wenger had named a surprisingly strong side, spearheaded by Sanchez and Olivier Giroud and including Bellerin on the right flank in the customary 3-4-2-1.
Cologne meanwhile arrived in London propping up the Bundesliga. You sensed they would need all the help they could get, though the 6,000-plus fans who had found their way into the ground certainly helped in that regard.
And with Arsenal, who had been greeted with boos when they ran out for their pre-match warm-up, cowed into submission by the change to their routine and the away support it was Cologne who set the tone for the Europa League Group H opener. Within nine minutes they had the lead.
Simon Zoller and David Ospina chased a long ball. The goalkeeper may have won the foot race but he screwed his clearance straight at Cordoba, whose deft strike nestled in the left corner of the net.
Cue pandemonium in the 'away enclosure', or, as it was once known, the Clock End.
Arsenal piled forward, a Giroud flick at the near post well-saved by Timo Horn. The resulting corner brought a Nacho Monreal header that tested the German youth international.
Theo Walcott, meanwhile, couldn't time his runs and continually fell fowl of the linesman's flag. The one time the offside trap did favour him he shanked a volley wide.
Boos rang out at half-time. Who they were for and from was not immediately clear but Arsenal could hardly complain if the home supporters had lost patience after 45 minutes utterly devoid of imagination and purpose.
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Wenger was decisive at half-time. Off came Rob Holding, with Kolasinac taking his place. After just 223 seconds he was on hand to drag Arsenal out of the mire, hammering a deflected Walcott cross into the bottom-right corner.
The Bosnian international’s arrival also saw Arsenal resort to a 4-2-3-1 that placed the likes of Alex Iwobi and Ainsley Maitland-Niles in their nautral positions. Evidently the 3-0 win over Bournemouth where everyone knew their role and how to fulfil it had taught Wenger little, as he continued to persist with square pegs in round holes for the first half.
Though Cologne continued to threaten on the break the game was there to be won by a more purposeful Arsenal. Maitland-Niles danced through the backline after a smart layoff by Giroud but couldn’t quite navigate the ball around goalkeeper Timo Horn.
After 67 minutes the game’s first moment of unquestionable quality put Arsenal ahead. Sanchez picked up Iwobi’s through-ball wide on the left channel, danced past three defenders and curled the ball inside the back post.
It was into that elated atmosphere that Jack Wilshere made his return, 383 days after his last appearance in an Arsenal shirt. His first pass, a three-yard tap to Mohamed Elneny, was greeted with the sort of roar usually reserved for one of Sanchez’s moments of brilliance.
A delightful dummy in the build-up to the third was more deserving of praise, Wilshere letting the ball run into Walcott’s path. When the initial low shot was saved Bellerin was on hand to turn in the third.
Wilshere couldn’t have wished for an easier routine, with Arsenal having ably subdued their visitors when they stepped on the gas in the second half. It may not have been especially impressive but, with Sunday’s visit to Chelsea on the horizon, Wenger will certainly welcome three points acquired in surprisingly unwelcome surroundings.