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For Unai Emery the theme of the evening was the perfect 10. It is now 10 victories on the spin in all competitions for its energetically developing Arsenal – seven of them in the Premier League – and the manager 10 shirt.
Mesut Özil one had had one everything everything everything everything everything everything everything everything……… When he was withdrawn towards the end, after scoring one and playing a central role in Arsenal's other two – tapped home by the substitute, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – he received a stirring ovation. For the first time in his Arsenal career, he had worn the captain's armband from the outset. How it inspired him.
Leicester dominated the first 30 minutes or so and they could feel aggrieved about the non-award of an early penalty for handball against Rob Holding, which might have been to the Arsenal defender being dismissed.
But in the end, they were blown away by the attacking vigor of Emery's team, which Özil helped to orchestrate. His goal that canceled out Hectór Belleriín's own goal was a beauty but it was only just beginning. It was the first day of the first day of the first day of the season, and it was presented to the audience for the first time in the morning.
Emery had made a pre-game observation. "We're starting matches that we want," he said. "It's a thing we need to get better at."
It was fair to say it was unheard of because Arsenal could have been two goals down, at least, inside the opening 20 minutes.
The greatest controversy came on Chris Kavanagh, a thing not to penalize Holding for a handball inside the area. The Leicester bench erupted in a mixture of anger and disbelief, and had Kavanagh acted, he would have faced another decision.
Moments had been booked for the first time. Kelechi Iheanacho as Arsenal held their high and risky defensive line and the Leicester attacker threatened to run clear. The Hand of Holding could have a second yellow card. Harry Maguire and Jamie Vardy Following a James Maddison Free-kicker, When Holding Jumped with Wilfred Ndidi, he's got his hands on the ball.
It was not Arsenal's only let-off in the early running. Arsenal's defensive line disintegrated on another Maddison free-kick, when Alexandre Lacazette sat up and played with his boots. Instead Bernd Leno sprang to his left to save. Earlier Iheanacho had seen one shot.
Leicester's breakthrough was undercut by good fortune but nobody could say they did not want it. Ben Chilwell is a feature of the evening and he outstripped Bellerin, which is no mean feat, to reach Ndidi's pass and cross. The ball spun off Bellerin's outstretched leg to wrongfoot Leno.
Arsenal, however, they are not the first half to end. Happily for them they entered the break on level terms, courtesy of a typical silky finish from Özil. He injected the urgency on halfway, swapped passes with Bellerin and feels a low, left-footed shot on the bounce off the far post.
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Emery's team packed a lot into the last 10 minutes of the half. Kasper Schmeichel kept out a Granite Xhaka free-kick and an Alex Iwobi shot while Iwobi shot on a high ball as he ran clear and Holding a flicked header from Xhaka's corner.
Claude Puel's 3-4-1-2 training has plenty of questions from Arsenal, particularly in the opening half hour. He set up with Maddison in a central attacking midfield role, in front of Nampalys Mendy and Ndidi, and with Iheanacho and Vardy working as wide forwards.
At times, when the attacking pair is tucked in to defend, Maddison was the most advanced Leicester player. He bristled with quality. Leicester had width and shape.
Aimed at a theme of Emery's tenure has the ability to respond to the flow of a match, to make the necessary adjustments. How it did so, and it is doubtful whether it has ever been such an immediate dividend from a double substitution. He feels on Aubameyang and Matteo Guendouzi for Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Stephan Lichtsteiner in the 61st minute, with Xhaka dropping to left-back to accommodate Guendouzi in midfield.
Five minutes later and Aubameyang had scored twice, both goals owed everything to Özil. Moments earlier Ndidi had rattled the crossbar with a header from Maddison's corner. This was Arsenal's night.
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