When Arsenal took Lens apart in Wednesday’s Champions League tie, it was a game for the ages for the north Londoners.
By half-time the Gunners were a scarcely believable five goals up and cruising, and in so doing had set a number of records.
According to Sports Mole, they became the joint-fastest English club to hit four in a Champions League fixture and the first English club in the history of the tournament to be five goals up by half-time.
They’re also the first club to have five different scorers in the first half of a Champions League match and, by the end of the rout, had managed the biggest victory by any English club against a French opponent in European competition.
No wonder Mikel Arteta appeared delighted after the game had finished.
"To do what he's doing at his age is really difficult." ?
Mikel Arteta is immensely impressed by Bukayo Saka's consistency levels at just 22 years of age ?@JeffBrazier ? | #UCL pic.twitter.com/5U4uBdTrei
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 29, 2023
What that type of performance does is validate everything that the manager is trying to achieve with what is quickly becoming a vintage Arsenal side.
All they lack at present is some consistency in the winning of titles because they’re playing as good as any other team in the Premier League at present.
The mixture of creativity, effervescence and solidity has served the Gunners well, particularly of late, and if the squad can continue producing performances such as the one seen on Wednesday night, there won’t be too long to wait before a trophy or two is being paraded around the Emirates Stadium.