It might have taken six years, but Arsenal's long-awaited return to the UEFA Champions League might make some consider the absence worth it, given the quality they displayed in their 4-0 dismantling of PSV Eindhoven.
Mikel Arteta described the occasion as "a beautiful night," with a player of the match performance from club captain Martin Odegaard one of many highlights as far as the attacking showing went.
The Gunners blew Peter Bosz's side away in the first 45 minutes, finding themselves 3-0 up at half time thanks to a series of well-worked goals, before Odegaard put the icing on the cake with 20 minutes remaining.
Meanwhile, the Dutch team will have questions to answer after a disappointing outing in the capital, finding themselves bottom of their group after the first round of fixtures in this season's competition.
Here's four things we learnt as Arsenal returned to the Champions League in style.
Gunners back amongst Europe's elite
Having been absent from the continent's premier club competition for some time, a few wondered if the occasion would get to Arsenal and cause some pre-match nerves that would end up translating onto the pitch.
Such suggestions proved ultimately wrong however, as the Gunners showed emphatically why they deserved to have a seat at the top table of European football, their dominance exemplifying their status amongst the elite.
There were strong performances all round, starting at the back with goalkeeper David Raya,, who blocked out the noise regarding whether it would be him or Aaron Ramsdale in net, producing a calm and composed performance, especially with his distribution on the ball.
Equally, the defence was rock-solid, as Gabriel and William Saliba stood firm at the back, accompanied by both Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ben White, both of whom dealt with the wingers they were facing remarkably well.
Declan Rice's role at the base of the midfield was carried out with his usual tenacity – even if he did get a yellow card for his troubles – whilst the attacking showing spoke for itself, with fluid moves a constant during the 90 minutes.
Whether it was going down the left with Leandro Trossard, the right with Bukayo Saka, or even the centre with Martin Odegaard, there was no weak point up front, furthering the case that this Arsenal side are one of the most difficult to deal with offensively in world football.
PSV with work to do in Group B
For all the credit that Arsenal deserve though, it must be said that PSV looked particularly poor defensively, being prone to counter attacks almost every time they dared to put any number of players forward themselves.
Having dropped Patrick van Aanholt, Peter Bosz's team found themselves under siege on rapid moves by their hosts, constantly focusing more on attempting to get back into position than actually prevent the attacks.
The Dutch side, who currently sit top of the Eredivisie, have shown they have the capability to score goals, even if that was not actually on show at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening.
It is at the back where they have been most problematic, keeping just three clean sheets in their opening nine competitive fixtures this season, meaning that if they don't find the back of the net, issues inevitably arise.
The full backs on both sides were run ragged by their opposition wingers, with Jordan Teze repeatedly being outdone by simple one-two moves involving Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus, with similar patterns on the other side against Sergino Dest.
There is of course still plenty of time in this group for PSV to bounce back, but with it already looking as though a battle for second place is the only option available, they must improve if they want to have hope of making it to the knockout stages.
Martin Odegaard classy again
Given how regularly he seems to put out world-class performances, the impact of Martin Odegaard can sometimes go a little underappreciated, with the Norwegian midfielder at the heart of so much of what was good about Arsenal.
His ability to pick up the ball from deep and drive his team up the pitch is second to none, with the resulting pass, either out wide or through the middle almost guaranteed to break the back line every single time.
Multiple examples throughout the evening showed as such, with a range of through balls from lofted chips to delicate flicks enabling the front three to get in behind and at the very least create a shooting opportunity.
Not only that, but his ability to shoot from outside the box himself causes several problems for goalkeepers, as even if they are able to prevent it going in, rebounds are then pounced upon by the likes of Saka, as was demonstrated with the first goal.
The club captain deserved the goal that he got, having been a key part of the Arsenal attack all game, and is clearly appreciated by the home fans who see the impact he has had since being named as skipper.
Never one to shy away from a tackle, his defensive acumen also ought be acknowledged, adding another dimension to a game which is already one of the best in the Premier League, if not Europe.
Wingers were bright sparks for visitors
On a night with few positives for the travelling PSV supporters, one thing they can take with some optimism is the performance from their wingers in the form of both Noa Lang on the left and Johan Bakayoko on the right.
Lang is a clearly talented player, with the 24-year-old possessing silky skills that he put on show against Arsenal, successfully completing three out of his four attempted dribbles, with an impressive pass accuracy of 81%.
Bakayoko also had some success down the line too, requiring a high level of concentration by Zinchenko to deal with the unpredictable nature of the Belgian who came through the club's youth academy.
There were a few moments that did cause some stress for the home support, especially earlier on, when the speed with which the two forwards would race up the pitch being a point for concern.
The issue was, even if they did manage to beat their man, rarely would there be enough options in the box to find with a final pass, and if they did do so, the shot was almost always too tame to trouble the 'keeper.
Signs of promise were at least displayed by the two, but with them both being substituted before the end of the game, an already timid PSV attack was blunted further, ensuring they would not even go home with a consolation goal to their name.
