It was a good result. A mighty good result. But does it now justify every move Arsène Wenger has made in the four seasons since Arsenal last won the Premier League title? Of course not. If there was a genuine challenger from outside the elite four, Arsenal would still be the most vulnerable of that quartet this season. Indeed, the reality is that for all Wenger’s avowed devotion to his young players, what is setting Arsenal apart right now is 11 straight seasons of Champions League football starting in 1998-99.

This enables them to give top-dollar contracts to world-class players such as Emmanuel Adebayor and pay £12.7 million for the forward who won the game on Saturday, Samir Nasri. Aston Villa could not get near to signing either man. There is the difference.

Wenger’s expenditure may be dwarfed by that available to the manager at Manchester United or Chelsea, but his resources married to his skill as a manager and an ethos his club have supported for more than a decade, are enough to keep the chasing pack at bay and further indulge his commitment to youth.

“Arsène knows” is a favourite saying around certain parts of North London and, because he does, he will be well aware that rising to the occasion against United like the upmarket equivalent of a plucky underdog is no replacement for real achievement. Arsenal are without a league trophy since 2004 and have few supporters as future champions in this campaign.

So, in the circumstances, Wenger will also know that one win against United is no more significant than one defeat by Stoke City, no matter the hyperbole prematch. Those toasting Saturday’s victory as if crisis had been averted – and this includes Wenger – are as misguided as the ones who were itching to start work on his obituary after losing the previous game. There is a reason Wenger asks to be judged at the end of the season. It is the whole that matters and all Saturday’s result confirmed is what the rest of us know: that a team with tremendous potential exists at Arsenal. We also know their youthfulness can lead to inconsistency; and that they are a class apart from the teams beyond the top four, but may lack the experience to win the league.

The criticism directed at Wenger comes not because his ideas are unworthy but because, when the Arsenal board say he has money to spend and could even pay £30 million for one player, few understand why he does not pick a target and attempt to put the finishing touches to a team that could then match any rival in Europe stride for stride. In that way, beating United will raise as many questions as answers, particularly if Arsenal go on to complete a fifth season without a league trophy.

With no competitor coming through, perhaps the time Wenger’s philosophy will be truly tested is in next season’s Champions League, if Arsenal finish fourth and have to prequalify against an equivalent team from one of Europe’s big leagues. It is a puzzle.

When the tingle from this result subsides, the extent of Wenger’s vindication will depend on whether one feels Arsenal are worth more than the prize for best turned out, and on whether a manager who once went a season unbeaten is settling for an unquantifiable reputation as the defender of the beautiful game. He previously had that, and more.

We all believe that Arsène knows: what cannot be believed is that he is comfortable offering no further proof of this presumption.

And another thing...

In a right royal mess

Prince William, president of the FA, has told delegates of the game’s governing body in this country that he cannot be expected to be a global ambassador for the 2018 World Cup bid. So what is his purpose at Soho Square other than to take up the best seat on FA Cup Final day? Never mind, perhaps Lord PleasedMan can make up for it with more toadying to the powerbrokers. Last week he supported a proposal by Michel Platini, the Uefa president, that, if implemented, would have denied Arsenal the opportunity to sign Cesc Fàbregas. What friends English football has in these princes and politicians.

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