Arsenal were desperate to make up for six years of lost time in the Champions League and made PSV Eindhoven pay heavily for the pain of those days in the wilderness on a rain-soaked night at Emirates Stadium.
The script for Arsenal's 4-0 win could have been penned by manager Mikel Arteta, so perfect was every aspect of this night, played out in biblical conditions in north London.
Yes, the weather was far from ideal but Arsenal's performance was close to it as they outclassed a PSV side which had been unbeaten in 26 games, only to be totally over-powered here.