Arsenal Invincibles Mk II: Progress of the process can no longer be denied under Arteta

Arsenal achieved two things at Bournemouth: they highlighted Mikel Arteta's progress and chanted their way into the nation's subconscious.

As is Premier League tradition, squad sheets have been released and tectonic plates have been shifted by the sheer weight of journalistic importance. There was the usual rush to get the right frame and angle for a specific image to tweet as proof of attendance, or for consistency, or just something to do in the hour or so before kick off .

Hidden in these easily accessible details was something quite surprising. A match between Bournemouth and Arsenal usually has no real historical significance. They had met 12 times before, with a League Cup match in 1987, the exception to a rule of 21st century fights most wouldn't remember anything in particular about.

Their previous Premier League game finally imbued the Cherries against the Gunners with meaning. In December 2019, it was Mikel Arteta's first game as Arsenal manager. Indeed, it was his dugout debut as a head coach of any kind. And the transformation in less than three years since has been amazing.

These line-ups told a chapter of a multi-layered story. Only three players who started that first game of the treacherous post-Freddie Ljungberg era have taken part in this game for Arsenal. And one of them was in the Bournemouth goal.

Aaron Ramsdale joined Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka as survivors, surrounded by memories of Sokratis, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Lucas Torreira, Reiss Nelson and Mesut Ozil.

They were perhaps the only remnants of that 1-1 draw in which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang needed to equalize after Dan Gosling's opener. That Arsenal were lost, seasons away from any sort of salvation, desperate for meaning and almost entirely disconnected from the fan base.

This iteration not only managed to lodge the earworm of a William Saliba chant into the nation's subconscious, but they saw their diligent singing rewarded with a stunning middle-half finish to wrap up the most routine of victories.

The Frenchman could have played all evening and not missed a single pass. Kieffer Moore promised another kind of challenge, but absolutely failed.

It was his introduction to the squad that forced Benjamin White into an unfamiliar right-back position for the season, but even he is acclimating to the role wonderfully. His one-two with Saka and his piercing run down the wing helped score Martin Odegaard's second goal.

But his first was covered in those lavish fingerprints of Gabriel Jesus, who snatched a high ball from the sky and turned debutant Marcos Senesi in the same move, before sprinting past Jefferson Lerma, dancing past Adam Smith and d luring Chris Mepham in, only to find Gabriel Martinelli's reverse stroke over his shoulder.

Mark Travers saved the next shot but Odegaard adjusted beautifully to open the scoring after five minutes. The control and composure that Arsenal exuded afterwards was shocking.

But the preconceptions around Arsenal need to change for a while. They are not physically weak and eternally lack an heir in Patrick Vieira. They are not too young and their manager is not too inexperienced. Their transfer philosophy needs no explanation as it speaks for itself. And it turns out signing two players from regular Premier League champions doesn't hurt.

There will be bigger tests to come, more relevant assessments of their precise position at England's top table. But for now, Arsenal will earn a 3-0 victory that will put them ahead and maintain their perfect record, especially as Arteta's last trip here resulted in a 1-1 draw that puts them 11th.