Arsene Wenger believes he has got a strike partnership which can be as good as the Thierry Henry-Dennis Bergkamp combination that brought so much success to Arsenal.
Gunners boss Wenger compared hat-trick hero Emmanuel Adebayor to Henry and says Robin van Persie's artistry reminds him of Bergkamp.
Wenger did not unleash his new deadly double act on Saturday - and still put five past Derby.
Instead, van Persie was left on the bench and his only foray on to the pitch was at the end when he came on to give Adebayor a bearhug and to take part in the now customary group huddle.
Eduardo Da Silva partnered Adebayor to give van Persie a rest and Arsenal rarely needed to get out of second gear.
And yet when they did put the pedal to the metal they were simply irresistible, with Cesc Fabregas pulling all the strings and leaving no one in any doubt that Arsenal are genuine title contenders this season.
Adebayor is just 23, van Persie is 24 and, frighteningly, Kolo Toure was the oldest outfield player at 26. Fabregas is 20 and already one of the best players, never mind midfielders, in the world.
There is a terrific bond in the Arsenal squad and Wenger has no doubts that the partnership between van Persie and Adebayor can become as successful as Henry and Bergkamp were during their golden era at Highbury.
Wenger has almost begun to glaze over whenever Henry's name is mentioned as he wants to look to the future rather than dwell on the past.
But the Frenchman could not resist paying Adebayor a huge compliment with his comparison and believes his partnership with van Persie will go from strength to strength.
"It's funny because I thought about Thierry when Adebayor scored the third goal.
I thought 'that's a Thierry goal'," said Wenger. "There was a defender in front of him and he just opened his foot.
"Adebayor worked very hard and has improved a lot in his finishing. He watched the other players and got a lot of advice, certainly, from Thierry.
"He's not the same player as Thierry but this was the kind of goal that Thierry scored.
Overall they are different players because Adebayor is more a guy who uses his strength and his power, and he is good in the air.
"Adebayor and Henry played a lot together and they were close but I think he has a fantastic partnership with Van Persie. Van Persie is a bit Bergkamp and Adebayor is a bit Thierry Henry.
"Another Bergkamp is not on every corner, nor is a Henry, and sometimes you wonder what will happen when they go.
"Bergkamp played to the age of 37 but at some stage you have to find players who can replace him."
Adebayor's work-rate is incredible while van Persie has the skill to merit comparisons with his fellow Dutchman Bergkamp.
But in Fabregas, Arsenal also have an emerging world-class talent who can spot passes, score goals (his second-half screamer was his seventh of the season), and inspire.
Arsenal are a team old before their time and are the best entertainers in the Premier League as well as sitting pretty on top of the table. Wenger rotated his squad and still they rolled over Derby. While they may not have the strength in depth of Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool, they do have a growing belief and a swagger of champions. Not to mention a healthy lead at the top of the table.
They also have players who are still young enough to improve and develop throughout the season. Gael Clichy was probably the most improved player at the club last season, Bacary Sagna looks a superb acquisition, and Mathieu Flamini is clearly proving a point to Wenger that he was right not to sell him this summer.
At 21 Abou Diaby looks one of the best prospects of the lot and his stunning 10thminute opener capped a brilliant display. Brazilian-born Croatian international Eduardo still looked slightly off the pace while Theo Walcott showed only flashes of his speed and has yet to progress from right-winger into team player. But Arsenal are a force to be reckoned with, there's no doubt about that. Adebayor got a second after 25 minutes, dispatched a 50thminute penalty, and completed his late hat-trick with a good finish after using his strength to hold off Dean Leacock.
Adebayor, scorer of the first hat-trick at the Emirates, said: "I'm very happy to be part of history but the most important thing is that we have won the game.
Difficult
"Robin and me have a good understanding. He's an amazing footballer and at the moment we are linking very well.
"But I don't want people to think we are going to win the title or the Champions League. I just want them to respect us for what we are doing.
"Every single day when I read the newspapers I think people are changing their opinion about us. In the summer everyone said it was very difficult for us and we just want to prove that they were wrong."