Victory at the Emirates Stadium fires a warning shot to Arsenal's title rivals this season on the back of easing past Manchester City in the FA Community Shield earlier this month.
Mikel Arteta has bolstered his squad over the summer - bringing in Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa - to back up an already stacked list of options for the Spanish coach.
Arteta used all five of his substitutions against Frank Lampard's visitors, and Gunners fans remain locked in debate over what their best team looks like, and how the boss will balance so many players in the months ahead.
Eberechi Eze was one of the players ushered on in the closing stages by Arteta, as despite scoring 10 goals in his debut 2025/26 season, the England international is not a regular starter.
The former Crystal Palace man came in for some criticism for an audacious free-kick attempt late on and former Arsenal star Theo Walcott has called on him to make better decisions to force his way into the starting XI.
"When the subs came on, that’s their chance to show Mikel, ‘don’t forget about me’. I felt some could have done a little bit more.
"It’s a reminder to the guys who aren’t starting that it’s a big, deep squad. If you want to be in the starting line-up, there are standards Mikel will look into.
"Eze having that shot at the end. I’m not sure Arteta will be happy with it. I know it’s a small thing, but these are little details that he will look into each individual player if he’s going to be with them throughout the season, that’s just a sign to see."