Recent history acts as a warning not to get carried away when Arsenal look as though they are finally emerging from their long post-Arsene Wenger transition period - but this time it feels like the real thing.
This, it must be stressed, is not to mark Arsenal out as potential Premier League winners or acclaim them as the finished product - there have been false dawns before, under both current manager Mikel Arteta and his predecessor Unai Emery.
But Saturday's outstanding 3-1 win against Tottenham in the north London derby offered further proof that this is a team and club that have rediscovered their identity.