Another excellent night at Emirates Stadium. We dominated throughout and were good value for our 2-0 win. Aside from Kevin Schade’s first-half header which David Raya expertly tipped onto the crossbar, it was business as usual defensively in an admirably secure display without Saliba and Gabriel. Hopefully the Frenchman will be available for Villa on Saturday, especially after Mosquera went off injured yesterday.

I didn’t quite get my team prediction right for the game. At right-back, Ben White was given the opportunity to impress, which I wasn’t against but just slightly doubted whether he would be at full tilt after a slow start to the season. Boy I was wrong! White was at his brilliant best at both ends of the pitch in an all action man of the match display, adding an assist for Merino’s opener to boot. Elsewhere, I was slightly off regarding whether Odegaard and Gyokeres would be ready to start, predicting the Norwegian to miss out and the Swede to start. Finally, Saka’s exclusion wasn’t a complete surprise as I hinted at in the match preview, with Madueke and Martinelli both given the nod.

I have to give a mention to the atmosphere at the game which was tremendous throughout. I’ve been to all three home Champions League games and given some of the opposition we’ve played, it’s not difficult to generate noise for Atletico or Bayern. But for a ‘regular’ Premier League game against a mid-table side, the fact that The Emirates was still rocking is a testament to the connection between players and fans right now. Everyone seems to be joining in to the array of songs we have and every time I get to a game, it’s so special to be a part of. It dawned on me during the pre-match highlights compilation on the big screen against Bayern that we will be watching moments from this season in future compilations and that just makes what we’re experiencing that little bit sweeter. Being in my 20th season as an Arsenal fan, having first gone to The Emirates against Manchester United on Sunday 21st January 2007, it’s been a long wait to see us have a team this good. We just have to keep going in the pursuit of a first league title for 22 years.

I can’t lie though – that second half was a bit tense. At 1-0, there’s always a chance of a scrappy equaliser for the opposition and with Brentford’s top scorer Igor Thiago introduced from the bench on the hour mark, that likelihood increased a tad further. It was difficult to believe that both Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka messed up rebounds from Kelleher saves in the second half and for a while it looked as though we would never get that crucial second goal. But I can’t blame Saka and Merino too much – after all they both scored in the game and continue to deliver incredibly consistent and industrious performances on a week to week basis. Sat in the Clock End, Saka’s goal was a bit of an anti-climax though which was a shame, as it was initially hard to tell whether the ball had crossed the line. Even when he did wheel away in celebration, it was quite muted in my vicinity. Nevertheless, we got the job done, as ‘Voulez-Vous’ and ‘Kingston Town’ played out over the speakers at full-time.

I’ve got a nice programme collection going now from this season, with the Forest, Olympiakos, Atletico, Bayern and Brentford games in my armoury. It feels important to keep grabbing one pre-game as mementos to look back on in the future. I must be doing something right as we have won all five of those games and my superstition has got to the extent where I have to go to the same stand to buy a programme every time now.

As mentioned at the top, Ben White was outstanding and his link-up with Noni Madueke was remarkable given their lack of any pitch time together. Both players showed some lovely touches, particularly in the first-half. How I have missed that famous Ben White overlap! It was really pleasing to see Jurrien Timber slot so seamlessly into centre-back after Cristhian Mosquera went off injured. Timber has played there earlier in his career but to do so at the drop of a hat to the level he did gives us continued assurance in the flexibility of this magnificent squad.

It’s an amazing time to be an Arsenal fan as we all look forward to every upcoming game with such enthusiasm. Villa away on Saturday lunchtime will be a great challenge, after their run of eight wins in nine Premier League games. We’ve got enough about us to get the job done but will have to be at full tilt to do so given their revival after a poor start to the season. Playing the first game is always the best time to play if you win and the worst if you don’t, getting to enjoy or having to endure the rest of the weekend’s football thereafter. That’s all for now – what a night that was on Wednesday and onto the next one. COYG