Easy street for Arsenal as wonderful Walcott leads seven-gun salute

Slavia Prague were powder-puff opposition, brushed aside by a team brimming with the confidence, but the statistics are beginning to stack up heavily in Arsenal's favour.

Unbeaten at the Emirates since West Ham inflicted a 3-2 defeat last April, unbeaten this season in all competitions and last night, they appeared unbeatable.

Whisper it, especially in Wenger's presence, but this team has shades of the 'Invincibles' about them. Who can stop this team? Who will dare? Maybe Liverpool will on Sunday, but it will take a brave man to bet against this team. Slavia Prague, for sure, were not the gambling type.

Alexander Hleb was magnificent, scoring twice and creating two more, but the real success story was Theo Walcott. As expected, the

striker made his first start up front for Arsenal in European competition. Fleet of foot, and firing on all cylinders after a series of sparkling appearances off the substitutes bench, he scored twice and set up Cesc Fabregas for his second goal. Sensational stuff.

Walcott has the searing pace that will eventually frighten the life out of Premiership defences, but he will be learning his trade against the likes of Slavia Prague for now.

He is certainly serving his apprencticeship with distinction and his second goal had shades of a certain Thierry Henry about it.

Wenger's side simply picked up where they left off at the weekend. They secured their 11th straight win when they finally broke Bolton's resistance and were on the verge of stretched that impressive run last night.

Chelsea were the last team to force a draw at the Emirates —

when Jose Mourinho marched across the pitch to salute the visiting supporters after their Premiership title hopes evaporated last season — and no team has since come close.

The expectancy that once enveloped Highbury has made its way down Gillespie Road and into their new stadium. Now there are no excuses but with this team, there does not need to be any.

Some of these players, such as Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Hleb and Emmanuel Adebayor, are in their prime. Others, such as Fabregas, Bacary Sagna and Walcott are being primed.

They had this game wrapped up within 24 minutes last night and then they took a walk down easy street. Fabregas has found his form in front of goal and he scored for the eighth time this season after just five minutes with a goal that was testimony to their work on the training ground.

Arsenal's players spent 15 minutes testing Manuel Almunia at the end of their session on Tuesday afternoon and Fabregas was the first to take full advantage.

Hleb, outstanding for Arsenal this term, did the hard work down by the corner flag and his diagonal pass took out three Slavia Prague defenders.

Fabregas's touch took him inside the area and his next was a goalbound effort that curled its way beyond Slavia's keeper Martin Vaniak.

Cries of 'Ole' greeted every touch after that, but Arsenal resisted the temptation to showboat their way towards the second round of the competition.

Nine points should be enough, but this Arsenal side wanted to let off some steam ahead of their Premiership duel with Liverpool.

They had the occasional scare, especially when David Kalivoda's first-half effort fizzed over Almunia's crossbar, but Arsenal were always in control.

Karel Jarolim set his side out to defend, but they dropped off far too deep against a team with the attacking threat of Arsenal. Emmanuel Eboue played virtually as a right winger and Hleb, operating on the left of Arsenal's fourman midfield, did the same.

They were due another goal and it arrived, with the aid of a deflection from David Hubacek, from Hleb. Slavia's defence failed to clear Fabregas's corner and Hleb arrived on the angle to send a wellstruck shot past Vaniak.

Slavia were spent and that was all the incentive Arsenal need to take this Czech side to the cleaners. They were determined to get Walcott off the mark and his moment came four minutes before the break.

He deserved his goal last night for his unselfish work outside the area, but he had the speed of mind to latch on to a mistake by Slavia left back David Pudil.

Vaniak found his looping back pass too difficult to deal with, Walcott left the keeper stranded on the edge of his area and the Arsenal striker applied the finishing touch.

Hleb scored Arsenal's fourth straight after the interval when he galloped into the path of Fabregas's curved pass, but Wenger's side were not finished.

Walcott sensed another and he beat the Slavia defence for pace when he latched on to Hleb's through-ball to skilfully toe-poke his second beyond the keeper.

Arsenal were too slick and they added another before the hour. Hleb began the move and Fabregas finished it, via Adebayor and Walcott, when he cut in from the right.

And when Niklas Bendtner added a seventh on 89 minutes it equalled Arsenal's biggest European victory — against Standard Liege 14 seasons ago in the Cup-winners' Cup.

But that counts for nothing in an era when silverware is the only sure sign of progress.