It had been more than four years since Arsene Wenger, who managed Arsenal from 1996 to 2018 in a hugely successful stint, last appeared at the Emirates Stadium. The world renowned tactician had previously insisted he had no intention of watching his former club in action after getting sacked due to a poor run of results. But on Monday night, the 73-year-old chose the perfect time to make his long-awaited comeback.

When Eddie Nketiah, who was thrusted into the starting line-up in place of the injured Gabriel Jesus, sealed the 3-1 win over West Ham with a ridiculously calm finish and assured Arsenal a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League, Wenger was once again put in the spotlight and was passionately serenaded by the home fans. "There's only one Arsene Wenger," they chanted in full-throated support for his return.

It wasn't all smooth sailing for Arsenal's first game after the World Cup. The Gunners dominated the early stages, but West Ham took a shock lead against the run of play when Jarrod Bowen was judged to have been fouled by William Saliba in the box. The festive mood at the Emirates Stadium was dampened by Said Benrahma, who ruthlessly converted the resulting spot kick.

You could have forgiven Arsenal if they had lost composure after going into the half-time 1-0 down, made more mistakes and become the architect of their own downfall. Their momentum towards a first league title since 2004 could have been terminated by a six-week hiatus. But it didn't turn out the way that most fans feared.

Instead, Arsenal continued to pepper the West Ham goal with patient build-ups and finally leveled the score  as Martin Odegaard's shot deflected into the path of Bakary Saka, who collected the ball in a perfect move before firing past Lukas Fabianski. Arsenal kept battering at the door and it was no surprise to see them turn the tie around as Gabriel Martinelli put the hosts ahead from a tight angle before Nketiah put the icing on the cake with smart goal.

Nketiah has now netted 11 times in his last 11 starts for Arsenal in all competitions at the Emirates, notching his 11 goals from just 16 shots on target. Saka also showed no signs of World Cup hangover as his goal put him just one shy of tying Nicolas Anelka for the most Premier League goals for Arsenal before turning 22 years old.

"I'm delighted with the result and performance because I thought we deserved to win the game," beamed Mikel Arteta, who marked the third anniversary of his first game as Arsenal manager with a comeback triumph.

Despite a slow start, Arteta's promising side added further encouragement to those who are dreaming of a return to the golden era when Wenger won 17 trophies at the London club including three Premier League titles.

When asked about Wenger's attendance, Arteta said, "The players didn't know [about it]. We wanted to keep it quiet and allow that space for Arsene. [Club owners] Stan and Josh [Kroenke] are here as well and it was a really special day...

"Thank you so much to him for coming. Hopefully walking through the building he's going to feel everything that everybody thinks of him, the legacy he left here. As well his presence has to be very, very attached to this football club. Also, thank you to him for everything he did at the club.

"Hopefully he's going to leave here and be willing to spend more time with us and be more around us because he's such a big influence for me personally in my career, the way I see the game, but as well for this football club."

Given the hero's welcome he received at the Emirates, Wenger will surely return for more. For Arsenal, the good old days might start to come back.