Back in the swing of things.

FULHAM 1-3 ARSENAL
Giroud 14', Podolski 41' 68', Bent 77'
Att: 25,622

Arsenal claimed all three points today after comprehensively beating Fulham at Craven Cottage. Under miserable conditions, The Gunners were ruthless and clinical in seeing off a lacklustre Fulham side featuring debutante Scott Parker, who had recently signed for The Whites. There was some encouragement in the form of Darren Bent, on loan from Aston Villa, who scored his first goal for the club.

Arsenal began the day on a quest to prove their doubters wrong. Their opening day defeat to Aston Villa had angered the majority of the Emirates faithful, and calls to 'Spend Spend Spend' were left ringing in Wenger's ears in the aftermath. However, in midweek, a 3-0 victory away in Fenerbahce gave him some respite from some of the criticism he has been receiving. A win in the Premier League today would restore some confidence in the Arsenal fans going into the North London Derby next Sunday.

So to today's match, and Arsenal started brightly. Despite the slippery conditions, Arsenal were stretching the Fulham defence with slick, pervasive football. Indeed, the wet conditions favoured Arsenal when OLIVIER GIROUD found the net in the 14th minute. A dinked finish into the bottom-left corner, the Frenchman has now scored three goals in as many games and is in somewhat inspired form. A perfect start for The Gunners, and they were not finished there.

Fulham created little in the way of chances and Arsenal exploited their defensive inferiority; Theo Walcott put his pace to good use, running John Arne Riise ragged. As Walcott's shot was well saved by Stockdale, LUKAS PODOLSKI was on hand to drill home from 18-yards. 2-0 to The Gunners going into the break, Fulham almost out of sight.

With Arsenal hosting Fenerbahce on Tuesday night in the second-leg of their Champions League playoff, Arsene Wenger benched Jack Wilshere as a precautionary measure. In the second-half, the England international made his entrance, replacing Tomas Rosicky.

Before long it was 3-0; LUKAS PODOLSKI claiming his second of the match with a drilled finish into the bottom-right corner. This goal was all about Olivier Giroud, however. His expert close control was a delight to see, and his placed pass put it on a plate for Podolski to finish comfortably.

Just as the game seemed to have reached its conclusion, Darren Bent entered the fray from the Fulham bench. While the result was almost inevitable, Martin Jol would have wanted to see Bent putting in a shift, perhaps even snatch a goal before the final whistle. And that is exactly what he did. After Berbatov's shot was initially parried by Wojciech Szczesny, DARREN BENT buried the rebound, providing some consolation for a generally disappointing game for The Cottagers.

The final whistle signaled the end of the game and, more importantly, Arsenal's first league win of the season. The woes of Villa had been held at bay after the Fenerbahce result and, after this win, were all but forgotten.

That said, Arsenal's lack of activity in the transfer market is not so forgettable. While Arsenal have now recorded back to back wins, obvious gaps are appearing as players pick up injuries. With Arteta, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Oxlade-Chamberlain all out, as well as Wilshere's unsettled fitness, it is clear (and has been for some time) that reinforcements are desperately needed.

However, let's be positive. Arsenal are beginning to look strong and stable, and a good result on Tuesday will only do good for team, players and fans alike.