What a way to celebrate the end of the beginning. Granit Xhaka rounding off his Arsenal story with two goals before his summer switch to Bayer Leverkusen.
Bukayo Saka toasting his new, £300,000-a-week, four year contract with a goal and a display down the right that will give full back Hugo Bueno nightmares. And a party on the park to round off an incredible season. One in which the Gunners announced themselves as title challengers once again.
Yes, they faltered late on to gift it to Manchester City this season, having built up an eight point lead at the start of April. But there is zero shame in giving way to arguably the finest team the Premier League has ever seen.
Nor should Arsenal fans feel anything other than optimistic with reinforcements expected this summer at right-back, centre-half, in midfield and up front.
Not that they were needed here. Wolves arrived carrying beach towels and suncream. They’d mentally clocked off already. Bueno was left to the mercy of Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus and the trio ran rings around the 20-year-old.
First Jesus crossed in the 11th minute for Xhaka to head past Jose Sa. Then Saka cruised past Bueno and slipped in Odegaard whose ball across the box was swept home by Xhaka with just 14 minutes gone.
Thirteen minutes later Saka curled in only his second goal in his last nine matches. Odegaard eased him past Bueno, Saka wrong-footed Max Kilman and Sa was left with no chance.
Wolves, with boss Julen Lopetegui in the stands serving a one-match touchline ban, argued between themselves as Jesus headed in for 4-0 from Leandro Trossard ’s 56th-minute cross. It was that kind of day.
Poland international Jakub Kiwior saw his shot fumbled in by Sa with ten minutes left.
And still it could have been worse. Thomas Partey had a goal chalked off because Ben White had barged into Sa. Odegaard dribbled past four players in the box but substitute Reiss Nelson’s shot from his pass was saved.
Trossard forced a fine save from Sa from distance. Another sub, Eddie Nketiah, was seconds too late to meet Nelson’s 83rd-minute cross. And so it went on.
For Arsenal each goal represented a cleansing. A release. A flushing out of the frustrations from a season that for so long promised the stuff of fantasy.
There were even calls for Xhaka - the man jeered by the fans here four years ago - to stay after his standing ovation as he was subbed. The rehabilitation has been real.
Ditto Arsenal. Arteta has changed the way we see them this season. They are serious Premier League players again.
