Arsenal’s five-year trophy drought may not end this season, but on this evidence they will continue to win friends and influence people all over the world.

It never rains but it pours in this part of North London, with the locals treated to a second rout in the space of five days, even more comprehensive than Saturday’s demolition of Tottenham Hotspur. The criticism that Arsène Wenger received towards the end of last season has evaporated.

Wenger’s great skill lies in repeatedly rebuilding spellbinding teams at a club who cannot always afford to keep their best players. This means that several steps forward are often followed by a large one back, although this present golden period may not inevitably turn into another false dawn.

Buoyed by the confidence stemming from a 12-match unbeaten run, Arsenal are enjoying their most consistent period since the sublime one-touch passing of Alexander Hleb and Tomas Rosicky enabled them to set the pace at the start of the 2007-08 Barclays Premier League season, but with much of the remaining personnel older and wiser, they look as if they may finally last the distance.

This team is similar in construction and outlook to the last Wenger side who challenged for trophies two years ago, with the key lying in the attacking triumvirate led by Cesc Fàbregas, but the squad contains more quality.

Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner were missing through injury last night, while Eduardo da Silva and Rosicky came off the bench on a night when Samir Nasri marked his first Champions League appearance of the season with his first goal for more than seven months.

“I’ve never had as many options on the creative side of the game,” Wenger said. “That’s why I was always surprised when people said, ‘Buy, buy, buy!’ For what?”

It is the one influential attacking player Wenger has signed in the past 18 months who could take Arsenal over the finishing line, however, as Andrey Arshavin was again a class apart, outshining even the outstanding Fàbregas. The Russia forward’s energetic running and inch-perfect passing created three further goals after Fàbregas had scored the opener.

Even at his very best, Hleb, whom Arshavin essentially replaced, is not in the same league. “Arshavin was outstanding today,” Wenger said. “He gave the ball every time at the fraction of the second you wanted him to give it. That’s top quality. He could be the missing ingredient. He not only scores goals, but can create and pass as well.”

Arsenal’s first goal, in the 25th minute, came from a rather more unusual source, however, with William Gallas embarking on a run forward. The former captain ran out of road on the edge of the Alkmaar penalty area, but the ball went to Fàbregas, who cut inside David Mendes to beat Sergio Romero at his near post.

Alkmaar never threatened to respond, leaving Arsenal to embark on their own goal-of-the-month competition, inspired by Arshavin. For the second, he released Nasri with one of those eye-of-the-needle passes that is his trademark, with the Frenchman turning Niklas Moisander inside out before shooting past Romero.

Arsenal have been known to relinquish two-goal leads in the past, as West Ham discovered ten days ago, but seven minutes into the second half they showed their determination to be ruthless. Abou Diaby released Arshavin after seizing on a loose pass and the Russian found Fàbregas overlapping in oceans of space to his left. The Spain midfield player made no mistake to score his eighth goal in 14 matches this season.

Arsenal’s fourth was the best of the lot, with Eduardo sending away Arshavin with a sublime back-heel just five minutes after coming on as a substitute. Arshavin accelerated away from the covering defenders at a remarkable pace without ever threatening to lose control, before transferring the ball to Diaby, who opened up his body to make Romero go to the back of his net for a fourth time.

Jeremain Lens grabbed a late consolation for Alkmaar from a rare counter-attack to provide a reminder that Wenger’s side retain defensive deficiencies that better teams may exploit, but they must stop Arsenal scoring first.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): M Almunia — E Eboué, W Gallas, T Vermaelen, K Gibbs — A Song, A Diaby — S Nasri, F Fàbregas (sub: A Ramsey, 67min), A Arshavin (sub: T Rosicky, 75) — R van Persie (sub: Eduardo da Silva, 67). Substitutes not used: V Mannone, B Sagna, P Senderos, M Silvestre.

Alkmaar (4-4-2): S Romero — K Jaliens, N Moisander, H Moreno, S Poulsen (sub: S Pocognoli, 64) — B Holman, D Mendes (sub: P Wernbloom, 70), S Schaars, M Martens — G Pellè, M Dembélé (sub: J Lens, 58). Substitutes not used: J Didulica, Ari, N van der Velden, G Swerts. Booked: Moisander.

Referee: A Haimer (Luxembourg).