In the end, as in the beginning, it was all about caviar. Arsene Wenger said so in the build-up to last night that such was the wealth of Lazio their transfer policy amounted to: "Caviar out, caviar in. It's all caviar." He wanted Arsenal merely to show they were fit to eat at the same table.
Arsenal did much more than that, though. Affording their rich guests nothing more than crumbs of comfort at the final whistle, this was Highbury at its least hospitable. All Lazio got were frequent reminders of Arsenal's own high class dishes, delicacies that included Dennis Bergkamp at his creative best, Thierry Henry at his most active and Freddie Ljungberg topping it all with two peach finishes. It was some fare.
Highbury lapped it up, and for the first time in three attempts Arsenal will surely progress from the first phase of Champions' League matches. They have nine points from three games and a win in Rome, or even a draw, in three weeks should ensure qualification.
By then the Italian champions will have started the defence of their league title and presumably will be sharper. Not that they were poor, in any sense, here, but they were run out of it by the sheer vitality of the Arsenal.
Ljungberg's two goals, the first three minutes before half-time, the second 10 minutes after it, were ample reward for Arsenal's endeavour, and there could have been more: Ljungberg and Kanu squandered chances. Four-nil might have been too much caviar.
In a bright opening 20 minutes from the Gunners there was much slick passing to admire, not least from Ljungberg, but not much end product. Tony Adams had a flick at a corner blocked by Sinisa Mihailovic, and Kanu made the most of a wayward ball with an acute touch to Henry only for him to blaze uncharacteristically wide.
Lazio remained calm, Juan Veron occasionally worrying Highbury with his long-range passing. In fact, by the half hour it seemed Arsenal had run out of ideas. Then last week's hero, Martin Keown, reawakened the crowd with a volley after incisive play by Silvinho on the left. Luca Marchegiani saved that Keown effort.
When, four minutes before halftime, Marchegiani was forced to scramble off his line with Keown about to pounce, after Simone Inzaghi had accidentally headed a free-kick towards his own goal, the sense in the ground of a coming breakthrough was palpable.
Sure enough, a minute later it arrived. And what a goal. Started by Henry's diligent harassment of Veron out near the right touchline, the ball moved swiftly from Ray Parlour to Kanu. Kanu, as he does, looked up, saw the options and picked out the best one available. That was Bergkamp, who had pulled off to the far post. Charging into the area was Ljungberg and with a precise, five-yard header Bergkamp found his Swedish teammate. Although running at speed, Ljungberg swept the ball high past Marchegiani. A great finish to a great move.
Lazio managed a response before the interval - Inzaghi made a woeful attempt at a header when free at the far post from Stankovic's centre - and their next one was equally puzzling. This club that could afford to spend £104 million in the past two years brought on the 34-year-old former player-manager of Crystal Palace, Attilio Lombardo, for Stankovic. Maybe there was meant to be a surprise factor to the substitution. If so, Lombardo wasn't told. He was off the pace from his first involvement and was exposed as such when Ljungberg rammed in his and Arsenal's second.
But the fault was not all Lombardo's. Again Arsenal displayed their quality, Bergkamp receiving the ball from Oleg Luzhny 40 yards out and charging straight towards the Lazio "D". There Bergkamp slid the ball through Paolo Negro. Ljungberg, outsprinting Lombardo, again showed real composure to drill the ball low beyond Marchegiani.
Lombardo's embarrassment was heightened by his subsequent withdrawal, especially to make way for such a discredited player as Fabrizio Ravanelli. Lombardo and Ravanelli? It's not all caviar, Mr Wenger, is it? There's some at Arsenal, though.
Arsenal: Seaman, Vieira, Keown, Adams, Ljungberg, Bergkamp (Vivas 79), Henry (Wiltord 84), Parlour, Silvinho, Luzhny, Kanu. Subs Not Used: Lukic, Dixon, Grimandi, Cole, Vernazza. Booked: Henry, Keown, Parlour. Goals: Ljungberg 43, 56.
Lazio: Marchegiani, Negro, Lopez, Mihajlovic, Nesta, Simeone, Pancaro, Nedved, Stankovic (Lombardo 45), Inzaghi (Salas 57), Veron, Lombardo (Ravanelli 73). Subs Not Used: Orlandini, Couto, Colonnese, Sensini. Booked: Stankovic.
Referee: J Garcia-Aranda (Spain).
