I loved going to Highbury, Arsenal’s old ground, because the seats were so close to the pitch that they shook as players ran down the touchlines. Watching football at The Emirates is more distant. But from the lower tier last night you could still see the sweat and the effort as Theo Walcott and Armand Traore sprinted down the left and the Newcastle defence back-pedalled to hold them at bay.  

It was members’ night, so plenty of kids had been brought along. About the 70th minute of the League Cup tie the little boy behind me asked his dad, “Why don’t they just score?” Good question, as yet another Arsenal corner was pinged away. I began to fear a repeat of the frustrating draws and unfinished attacks that eventually exhausted Arsenal and extinguished last season’s hope of honours.

The atmosphere was boisterous, despite the numerous youngsters, and the air rich with colourful curses. Arsenal’s version of baseball’s ’seventh-inning stretch’ is to do the Mexican wave while chanting, “If you hate Tottenham, stand up.” The disgruntled spectator near me got fed up leaping from his padded seat to see the action and tried a chorus of “If you love Arsenal, sit down.”  

It was worth getting up to look. The mazy passing and elaborate build-up pleased the eye and unlike last year the persistent, deliberate approach is paying off. Armand Traore put in a fine cross which Nicklas Bendtner headed into goal. Denilson’s shot across the box in the 89th minute sealed it, with Newcastle ground down. The air would have gone out of Arsenal if Newcastle’s Obafemi Martins had finished with more vigour after clearing the Gunner’s goalkeeper in the 85th minute. Philip Senderos steamed back to clear off the line in one of those “I can’t believe he managed to do that” moments.

Can Arsenal keep up the combination of entertaining football and winning matches? The 60,004 people who saw last night’s splendid game would likely say yes. And all that for just £10 a ticket, the price of admission on members’ night.