Arsenal have not looked wholly convincing during their recent winning streak but everything clicked in the second half against Fulham on Sunday. Nick Wright was at Craven Cottage to see the 5-1 win and weigh up their progress under Unai Emery.
As Arsenal racked up the goals in the second half at Craven Cottage on Sunday, the travelling fans crammed into the Putney End began to enjoy themselves. "We've got our Arsenal back", was the chant after Aaron Ramsey's brilliant third. "You've only come to see the Arsenal", they sang after Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang made it four.
Arsenal's exhilarating performance was a throwback to their glory years under Arsene Wenger, but more than that it fuelled the growing sense of optimism about what lies ahead under Unai Emery. After a rocky start, Arsenal have won nine consecutive games for the first time since 2015. They are only two points off the top of the Premier League.
It will take much more than this for Arsenal to be seen as genuine title contenders, of course, but the situation is far brighter than anyone anticipated after those early losses to Manchester City and Chelsea. And while Arsenal may have ridden their luck at times recently, there could be no disputing their superiority against Fulham.