Arsenal 3 Stoke City 1: match report - Telegraph.co.uk

Ramsey converted the rebound. Of course he did. It was his eighth goal in nine games. Özil looked upon the assist, and he saw that it was good.

Everyone was having so much fun that the absence of Theo Walcott due to a last-minute abdominal injury passed virtually unnoticed.

Then, against the run of play, Stoke equalised. Steven Nzonzi played a beautiful diagonal ball, new signing Marko Arnautovic peeled away from Per Mertesacker, and with impeccable technique fired a low left-footed volley against the post, leaving Wojciech Szczesny sprawling. The ball came out to Geoff Cameron, who placed the ball into the empty net.

The old Stoke under Tony Pulis would never have scored a goal that fluid. Then again, the old Stoke would never have conceded a goal so elemen­tary just 10 minutes later. Özil's corner, Mertesacker's glancing header, and Arsenal were ahead again.

Stoke threatened sporadically in the second half. Marc Wilson ratted Szczesny's fingers with a low hum-dinger, while the outstanding Cameron delivered some searching crosses. As a measure of how well they competed, after going 2-1 down Stoke completed 327 passes to ­Arsenal's 234 and enjoyed more of the ball.

"We talked about playing more in the opposition's half," Mark Hughes said. "In the second half, I think that's what we did. We showed a lot of control, which is what we're trying to do this year. At 2-1 I felt the team most likely to score was probably us."

Something has definitely happened to them at set pieces, though. With virtually the same personnel as last season – Cameron, Ryan Shawcross, Robert Huth, Jonathan Walters – Stoke looked vulnerable virtually every time the ball was delivered into their area. Eighteen minutes from time, another Özil free-kick was won by Bacary Sagna, whose header had sufficient loop to evade Begovic and nestle in the far corner.

You could, if you really wanted, pick holes in Arsenal's defence. The back four were not always in alignment and occasionally lacked sufficient protection from midfield. But after years of playing well without winning, Wenger was determined to enjoy winning without playing well. "I said many times, when everyone else was unhappy, that my job is to make everyone happy," he said. "When they are, I feel well."

It is an achievement that should not be understated. The deep early-season gloom shrouding the Emirates has been shredded in the space of just five games. The club that lacked the 'ambition' and 'firepower' to challenge for the title now leads the Premier League on the strength of their £40 million midfielder. Work that one out.