There is something deeply satisfying about watching a team that simply refuses to be derailed. Arsenal travelled to Bruges on Wednesday night missing half their first-choice defence, facing a Belgian side notorious for causing European upsets, and still found a way to win with the kind of authority that has become their hallmark this season. The scoreline read 3-0. The message was unmistakable.
A night that could have been a trap
The English newspapers captured the mood perfectly on Thursday morning. "The Gunners keep firing" declared the Daily Mirror. "Arsenal never stop" echoed the Sun. For those who have followed this club through the years of near-misses and painful collapses, such headlines carry a weight that transcends mere match reports.
Consider what Mikel Arteta was working with at the Jan Breydel Stadium. Gabriel absent. William Saliba absent. Jurriën Timber absent. Riccardo Calafiori absent. The entire spine of one of Europe's meanest defences, simply unavailable. In their place, Christian Norgaard – a summer signing earmarked for midfield duty – found himself partnering Piero Hincapié at centre-back. It was the kind of makeshift solution that typically precedes disaster.
Instead, Arsenal controlled proceedings from first whistle to last. Noni Madueke, another product of a summer transfer window that now looks increasingly inspired, announced himself with a brace of goals. Gabriel Martinelli added a third with the kind of strike that has become his trademark. Bruges, for all their reputation as giant-killers, never laid a glove on them.
The making of champions
What separates good teams from great ones is not how they perform when everything aligns perfectly. It is how they respond when circumstances conspire against them. By that measure, Arsenal are announcing themselves as genuine contenders on both fronts.
Cast your mind back to that decisive week between late November and early December. The fixtures looked brutal on paper – Tottenham away, Bayern Munich at home, then a trip to Stamford Bridge. Pundits lined up to predict that Arsenal's title challenge would be defined, perhaps ended, by this sequence. What happened? A derby victory over Spurs. A statement win against Bayern. A hard-fought point at Chelsea. The Gunners emerged from that gauntlet stronger than when they entered it.
Then came the setback at Aston Villa, a defeat snatched in stoppage time that might have broken lesser sides. The response? A 3-0 demolition in Bruges, delivered with a squad held together by duct tape and determination.
Arteta finds solutions everywhere
The Spanish manager's post-match comments told a story of collective belief that has permeated every corner of the dressing room. He spoke of managing players who could only offer 30 or 45 minutes, of defensive positions filled by unfamiliar faces, of a squad that adapts without complaint to whatever is asked of them.
"We know how difficult the Champions League is," Arteta reflected. "Winning away, especially with so many players absent, makes the victory even more beautiful. Right now, it's about managing defensive situations. But with the mentality of these players, I know that if I ask any of them to play in a certain position, they can do it."
There was tangible evidence of recovery too. Gabriel Jesus, the Brazilian forward whose season has been disrupted by injury, made his return from the bench and immediately struck the crossbar. Reinforcements are arriving just as the schedule intensifies.
The view from the top
Arsenal now sit first in the Premier League. They also sit first in the Champions League, three points clear of Bayern Munich in the new expanded format. Two competitions, two summit positions. For supporters who have waited two decades for a league title and even longer for European glory, the numbers are intoxicating.
The fixture list offers further cause for optimism. Four of their next five matches will be played at the Emirates, against opponents who on paper at least appear manageable. The Boxing Day period, traditionally a graveyard for title challenges, looks navigable. The squad, despite its current casualties, possesses the depth to rotate without sacrificing quality.
Only two defeats all season, both away from home, both by a single goal. This is not the Arsenal of recent memory, the side that would crack under pressure or find creative ways to self-destruct at crucial moments. This is something altogether more resilient, more assured, more ready for what lies ahead.
Belief spreads through north London
In the pubs around Highbury, in the living rooms of supporters scattered across the globe, a forbidden feeling is taking hold. Hope – genuine, unguarded hope – that this might finally be the season when the wait ends. Arsenal supporters have been burned before, of course. They know better than to count trophies in December. But there is something about this team, this manager, this moment that feels different.
Where will Arsenal stop? That question hung in the air at the Jan Breydel Stadium as the final whistle confirmed another European conquest. Right now, Mikel Arteta's men show no intention of stopping anywhere short of the summit. And watching them navigate crisis after crisis with such composure, it becomes increasingly difficult to argue against them.
