After 11 years and 14 attempts, it's 14th time lucky for Arsene Wenger as his Arsenal side on Sunday defeated arch rivals, Chelsea 1-0 in the Community Shield at Wembley with the solitary goal coming from the boots of Alex Oxlade Chamberlain.
The no love lost relationship between Wenger and his opposite number Jose Mourinho which had been on display between both parties in the build up to the game continued after the final whistle when Wenger failed to acknowledge Mourinho by avoiding the traditional handshake between managers.
It was hardly a stroll in the park for Arsenal as they were made to work hard for their victory with a dogged and resilient defensive performance especially in the second half when Chelsea were desperate for an equaliser.
One thing is certain, a psychological barrier has been crossed by Arsenal and their fans can look forward to the new season with genuine belief that they can challenge for the title.
But can they?
Arsenal easily defeated Manchester City 3-0 last season in the Community Shield but they still ultimately came up short in the title race. Is there any reason for Arsenal fans to believe that this could be their year?
One thing is certainly different, they have a genuine world class keeper in Petr Cech. His efforts in the game against Chelsea showed what Arsenal have been missing since David Seaman and Jens Lehmann quit the Gunners. Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho must now be wondering why they let Cech join a direct rival, sentiment or not.
It is already clear that at key moments during the premier league season, Cech is going to come to Arsenal's rescue just like David De Gea did for Manchester United last season and salvage a victory or two which could be pivotal to their title hopes.
If pre-season form is anything to go by, Chelsea looks like the only stumbling block to Arsenal's title ambitions. Manchester City does not look like a team that will stop Arsene Wenger's side with the quality of their transfer business so far while Liverpool and Manchester United have invested heavily again this season. An air of unpredictability of what to expect from both teams exists. Quite difficult to judge whether the new signings will pay off or back fire spectacularly.
On the other hand, if we look at what history has taught us, it is too soon to judge if Arsenal based on this performance, will actually become serious title challengers come start of the season. Arsenal claimed a few scalps last season when they faced the big boys but were undone by embarrassing losses to the likes of Stoke, Southampton and Swansea.
Wenger and every Arsenal supporter out there knows that their rivals have strengthened and will still strengthen. They need to find an excellent partner for Laurent Koscielny and a decent back up for Francis Coquelin because like it or not, Mourinho's team and other members of the big 6 will improve as the season progresses.
The challenge for Arsenal undoubtedly is to replicate Wembley's performance for 38 league matches and also in Europe. It is appears that Wenger after going trophy less for 9 years has learned some tough lessons and one of them is, there is no shame in playing dirty or rugged when you play an equally strong or stubborn opponent when necessary. At the end of the day, it is the result that really matters.
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