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Arsenal finally found their rhythm on Saturday as the Arteta lads thrashed Fulham 3-0 at the Emirates.

Without Bukayo Saka in their starting XI, Arsenal have stayed in the Premier League title race and are one game away from the Champions League final, but everyone at the Emirates could agree on this afternoon that life is much easier when their famous No 7 is starting games.

The prodigal son started his first match since his Achilles injury in the Carabao Cup final on March 22 and he needed just 45 minutes to take care of the afternoon’s business. A cross swept on to the toes of Viktor Gyokeres for the first goal, a shot whipped inside the near post of Bernd Leno’s goal for the second. Saka’s work was done. For once, Mikel Arteta and 60,000 anxious home fans could relax at three goals up at half-time, during which Saka was withdrawn to conserve his energy levels.

For Gyokeres it was a triumphant afternoon, featuring a return to the team in the Premier League – having lost his place to Kai Havertz – and two first-half goals. His was the assist for Saka, and everyone in a home shirt just looked the better for having the club’s best attacking player back on the right wing. Fulham’s players, suffering from a virus that had ruled out of contention Sander Berge, and slowed down many others, were blown away in the first half. They did at least get it together after the break.

Arsenal’s 23rd Premier League win of the season took them to 76 points, six better than Manchester City with their two games in hand.

Arteta could save Saka’s legs and also substitute Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Ben White long before the end, with Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Atlético Madrid in mind. Martín Zubimendi ended the game as Rice’s replacement. Myles Lewis-Skelly had a very decent 90-plus minutes – originally in midfield in Zubimendi’s place. Finally, a little rotation from Arteta, although still not a single minute for poor old Christian Norgaard. If not in a second half cruise like this one, when will he ever get a game?

A big first half for Arteta and his players, lifted by the third in the fourth minute of time added on when Gyokeres pulled away from Calvin Bassey and made himself a good target for Leandro Trossard’s cross.

This had been a very rewarding half for the Swedish forward. He has struggled this season, but against a Fulham team that was hemmed in and a pairing of Bassey and Joachim Andersen who were having a very bad afternoon, Gyokeres took his chances. Not all of it was perfect from the No 14 but if every game had been this straightforward he would not be wondering about his place in the team. It was his assist for the Saka goal too, a moment of good sensible running into the channel and waiting long enough for Saka to make the run.

Arsenal were excellent before the break. They played with intensity and their opposition were simply unable to get out of their own half for much of it. Marco Silva’s players did not register a single touch in the Arsenal penalty box before half-time. If this was indeed a team suffering a collective virus it seemed to be one that recreated the days of their abject away form. They were made to look ponderous at times, lightweight at others. Silva’s players can play a lot better.

Myles Lewis-Skelly started his first Arsenal senior game in midfield, in the absence of Martin Zubimendi and brought the necessary robustness as well as the energy. Back in the XI, Saka was a menace. Everything hit up to him stuck, including one cross field ball aimed at his neck just before half-time which he somehow controlled with one foot in touch and a defender all over him. His finish for the second Arsenal goal was clever – whipped in at Bernd Leno’s near post from the left side. He only needed to play a single half – Noni Madueke was on in his place at half-time.

Saka had made the first for Gyokeres, benefiting from Raul Jimenez’s slip. Saka might just have beaten him anyway but as it turned out he had time and space to pick out Gyokeres with Andersen having totally lost his man in the box. Arsenal would have five shots on target in the first half and the question was chiefly whether they would get a decent return on their dominance. Riccardo Calafiori’s header from Trossard’s cross was nicely placed but the full-back was well offside.

No such problems deep into injury time when Fulham were caught on the counter and Trossard took Timothy Castagne for a long run down the left. Castagne never got close and by the time Trossard looked up, Gyokeres had made some space for himself.

Gyokeres’s second goal took him to 21 for the season, the first Arsenal player to score more than 20 in all competitions in their debut season since Alexis Sanchez in 2014-2015. Fulham came back into the game after the break, or at least held their own. Calafiori hit the bar with a header. In the 72nd minute, Castagne registered a shot on target – the first for Fulham. Trossard’s performance indicated he will be in contention to start on Tuesday on the left of the attackers, and no question who will start on the opposite flank.