Well, this was football as it should be. Little in the way of cynicism - and skill triumphing. United are as capable as Arsenal of playing the game the way it should be played, but on this occasion, the visitors, shorn of Thierry Henry, exploited the space offered by their opponents the better.

Rarely can sides afford to miss a penalty at Old Trafford and get away with it, but some towering performances throughout the Arsenal side meant that, for a change in this season’s Premiership matches, missed opportunities were not rued. Although there was a certain frisson and excitement about games with United in the past, it certainly suits the current team to be allowed to express themselves and Roy Keane in the Sky Sports pundits’ box expressed his frustration that it was not like the old days. Maybe, just maybe, football is gradually cleaning up its act to allow entertainers to entertain, a necessity now that admission prices are so high, as Chelsea will testify.

The five man midfield worked a treat, their numerical supremacy allowing more passing movement than is normally seen from a visiting team at Man Utd. I think even the most one-eyed of United fans would probably admit that Arsenal edged this game. Critically, for once, the Gunners did not go behind. As long as the home side had no motivation to shut up shop, they were playing into the hands of Wenger’s team. It looked like being a 0-0 as the end neared, a result that would have left Arsenal one position above the relegation places. That they have leapt into the top half of the table courtesy of one goal says a lot about how early it is in the season to draw too many conclusions, although I myself am guilty of that after watching the performance at Manchester City.

Football is all about margins, and there is an argument to suggest that Arsenal could just as easily have 12 points instead of five. But the clinical finishing once opportunities are created – a key factor in the first three matches – was in fact just as evident against Alex Ferguson’s side. Some great chances were spurned, aside from the penalty. I think the world and his wife expected Gilberto to put it to the keeper’s right, and he didn’t disappoint. If ever there was a time for a cute chip into the space vacated by a diving keeper, this was it, and the Brazilian might have kept his footing into the bargain.

Adebayor is a frustrating player, very much like Kanu as everyone can see. Can create magical situations with his unexpected pace and trickery, but can balls up just as easy trying too many circus tricks. But at the moment, we can forgive him, and maybe just hope that such a crucial goal might in future focus his concentration with the result of a better goals per game ratio. If I were a betting man though, I wouldn’t put money on it.

However what the performances against Hamburg and United have proved is that the team can get results without Thierry Henry, and even when he isn’t injured, there will doubtless be times that the captain is rested over the course of the season. In fact the current injury is well timed. He has looked leaden and off the pace in the appearances so far, and will not be back to top form for a while yet. It must be hoped that the confidence gleaned from the last two matches means that when Henry does in fact return, the deference to him displayed by the newer and younger players disappears a little. Option one in attack should not automatically be to give the ball to the number 14, and those in possession should have the belief to weigh up other options.

Wenger denies that this Arsenal is a team in transition, but that’s the true competitor speaking. Such an admission would be to allow lower standards to creep in, even if the reality is that the days when the Gunners were the ‘Unbeatables’ took a couple of years in the making. This could well be Arsene’s third great Arsenal team in the making, but the new stadium factor, the loss of so many senior pros and the heavy World Cup involvement does mean that the title this season is, frankly, a very long shot. What matters now is how the team approach the likes of Sheffield United and others whose height of ambition is to finish in the top half of the table. A change of style is required to break them down, score the first goal and then open up the game to allow the kind of football we witnessed at Old Trafford. Has Arsene the wit to make his players change their ways? One things for certain next weekend, it will not be so easy to play down the middle as it was against United, not least because one has to expect the Blades to camp out on the edge of their own area and hope for a draw. It might just be time to rotate things a bit and start with one Theo Walcott, and get behind the opponents on the flanks for a change.

One thing’s for certain. The last two matches have provided the opportunity of a springboard for a decent run. Let us hope that Arsenal can make the most of it. Football has a funny way of reflecting the past, and as the ‘Unbeatables’ run was ended at OT in 2004, let us hope that the side can use this win to go on another decent Premiership sequence without defeat. The psychological boost of winning at United cannot be underestimated. We’ll soon see if that still holds true for Wenger’s latest side.