Arsenal bounced back from successive defeats with Danny Welbeck's brace sealing a comfortable 3-0 Premier League win on Saturday against Bournemouth.
After defeats against Stoke City and Liverpool, Arsenal started brightly and led inside six minutes when Welbeck headed in, before Alexandre Lacazette fired home a superb second goal after neat link-up play with the England forward.
The in-form Welbeck added his second goal shortly after half-time and the only surprise was that the rampant Gunners, who introduced Alexis Sanchez midway through the second half, failed to add a fourth.
James Olley assesses the key talking points at the Emirates...
Welbeck stakes his claim
Welbeck was only in the starting line-up due to Sanchez’s omission yet he staked his claim for further involvement with two contrasting finishes.
The first was a header which found the net via his shoulder but the second was high class, taking Aaron Ramsey’s pass in his stride before finishing smartly into the far corner as the angle tightened.
It was the 26-year-old’s fourth League brace and first since scoring twice for Manchester United against Aston Villa in December 2013.
Welbeck has been an ever-present in the League this season but it is widely anticipated that Wenger will settle on a preferred front three of Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Sanchez when Arsenal settle into a rhythm - but Welbeck will be difficult to leave out on this evidence.
Lacazette is ahead of schedule
The composure and class with which Lacazette curled home Arsenal’s second goal, having combined beautifully with Danny Welbeck in the build-up, made Wenger’s decision to leave his £52.7m summer signing out at Liverpool all the more curious.
The Gunners boss cited a need for Lacazette to be given time to adapt to the Premier League but he can only do that by playing, and the measured precision with which he scored here suggests he should already be a mainstay in the team.
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After a Europa League engagement against Cologne on Thursday night, Arsenal travel to Chelsea and it would be a major surprise were Lacazette not to start against another top-four rival.
Kolasinac slots in at left wing-back
Part of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s decision to leave Arsenal for Liverpool centred on his frustration over playing at left wing-back under Wenger.
His £40million departure last week handed Sead Kolasinac the opportunity today to assume what will surely become his regular position should Wenger persist with the current 3-4-2-1 system.
Kolasinac is more naturally suited to the role having played there at Schalke prior to his free transfer and, on his third start for the Gunners, he showed why he can thrive on the flank.
It took just six minutes for Kolasinac to burst past Harry Arter in an advanced position and cross expertly for Welbeck.
The finish owed plenty to luck but the assist did not and Kolasinac continued to be a menace to Bournemouth all afternoon.
Bournemouth were the perfect opposition
Passive opponents seemingly resigned to defeat before kick-off was more than Wenger could have hoped for.
This could have been a potentially tricky afternoon for Arsenal given the anger among supporters over their dreadful defeat at Anfield last time out but the Emirates Stadium crowd were instead able to sit back in relative comfort after Welbeck’s early opener.
Bournemouth rarely threatened at the other end. Jermain Defoe hit the post just after the restart but any momentum the visitors attempted to generate dissipated as Welbeck scored Arsenal third shortly afterwards.
From then on, it was largely a case of how many Arsenal would score – even after they were reduced to ten men after Francis Coquelin limped off with all three substitutes used – and the only real surprise was they didn’t add to their tally.
Sanchez has bridges to mend
Sanchez’s late arrival back from international duty with Chile contributed to his demotion to the bench here but there was a psychological aspect to Wenger’s decision given his failed deadline day move to Manchester City.
The 28-year-old was keen to leave the club but Arsenal failed to secure Monaco winger Thomas Lemar as a replacement, meaning Sanchez had to return to Emirates Stadium.
The crowd reaction to his 75th-minute introduction suggests he has some bridges to mend with supporters, given a mixture of boos and cheers greeted him onto the pitch.
A half-hearted chant of “Alexis Sanchez baby” followed shortly afterwards but plenty opted not to join in.
Any animosity will quickly be forgotten should Sanchez produce his best in the coming weeks but there is clearly work to be done in mending relationships.