Mikel Arteta was happy to banish the nightmare of last season as Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League with a clinical 3-0 victory at Brentford.
The Gunners were back from the scene of their dismal 2-0 opening day defeat of last season, which anticipated their worst start to the campaign for 67 years.
But they are a different animal this season and have proven it with an organized and inventive display and three well-scored goals from William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira.
“I’m really happy with the performance and to win the game and be top of the league going into the international break,” Gunners boss Arteta said.
“A lot of people described that day as embarrassing, but I saw it as a character-building day.
“You have to learn from those times, then days like today happen. We enjoy our football.
Such was Arsenal’s dominance that Mikel Arteta could even afford to give 15-year-old midfielder Ethan Nwaneri a late start as a substitute, making him the youngest player in the Premier League.
The Gunners took the lead in the 18th minute, with Saliba’s header from Bukayo Saka’s corner bouncing inside the far post.
Ten minutes later, Jesus doubled the lead with another header, this time with a nice shot into the box from Granit Xhaka.
The second half started in a similar vein and when Saka sent the ball to Vieira from 25 yards out, he aimed and curled a superb finish on the post.
It was a spectacular way for the Portuguese midfielder to mark his first Premier League start since his £34m move from Porto.
“He has a good progression as he missed pre-season due to injury,” added Arteta.
“But we know his talent and why we signed him and what he can bring to the team. He has shown his character and his quality.
“He’s a creative player, he has to play with his instincts and we have to create as many scenarios as possible for him. The goal here and the way he approached the ugly part of the game, I was really impressed.
England new boy Ivan Toney was an isolated figure in Brentford’s attack as a sarcastic tweet he sent after last season’s game, ‘nice kickabout with the boys’, came back to haunt him.
It was a message copied and tweeted by Gunners defender Gabriel after Sunday’s game.
Bees boss Thomas Frank said: “They are the in-form team in the division with Manchester City, so we had to go 10 out of 10 to get something, and we didn’t.
“They had to work very hard which shows the respect they had for us, but it’s a fair and square victory in the end and we wish them well as title contenders.”
Frank’s future has been the subject of speculation after links with Brighton and Leicester, but he insisted: “It’s very simple. I am here in Brentford and very happy.
