Arsenal needed to put in a performance worthy of the famous red and white jerseys, and they did just that as the verve and style returned in a vintage performance from the Gunners at the Madejski Stadium.
Santi Cazorla scored a hat-trick, with Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott grabbing the other two in a 5-2 win over Reading in Monday night's English Premier League game. Adam Le Fondre and Jimmy Kebe scored Reading's two goals, momentarily taking the score to 4-2, before the Gunners put the game beyond doubt with ten minutes remaining.
The win took the Gunners to fifth in the table on 27 points, two behind fourth-placed Tottenham, while Reading stay rooted to the bottom.
Arsenal began like a team in desperate need of a victory, but also realizing that requirement to show it on the pitch with some quality.
The midfield trio of Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla were in control of things, while Theo Walcott looked sprightly in the position that he has been craving to play in ever since signing for Arsenal - as a center forward.
The first chance of the game fell to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the Arsenal winger haring down the park off a quick counter, before taking a shot from 25 yards out, which was brilliantly saved by Adam Federici.
A couple more half chances came and went, before Reading got their first real opportunity. Pavel Pogrebnyak carved Arsenal open down the right, but Jobi McAnuff could not convert his cross onto the target.
The goal came for Arsenal in the 14th minute. Kieran Gibbs made a run down the left before playing a cross into the box towards Podolski, who took a brilliant first touch before smashing it into the back of the net from seven yards out.
It was all Arsenal now, as Cazorla came close with a 25-yarder of his own, with Podolski then failing to find the target from just outside the box.
Walcott, however, should have doubled the lead on 20 minutes. Oxlade-Chamberlain played a pass above the Reading defense for his England teammate to run onto, but Walcott could only hit his strike straight at Federici - the forward almost had too much time on the ball there.
Wilshere then forced a save from Federici, before it was 2-0 just past the half hour. Podolski was the creator this time, putting in a perfect cross, after a driving run down the left, for Cazorla to place a diving header into the bottom corner.
The Spaniard celebrated the goal by pointing to his head, almost in disbelief that he had scored a goal off a header.
Two minutes late Arsenal were 3-0 up, as Cazorla got his brace. Walcott stood a ball up towards the far post from the right, which Gibbs was able to head down for Cazorla to hook into the back of the net past Federici.
Podolski forced a brilliant block from Adrian Mariappa, before Oxlade-Chamberlain had a close-range header well saved by Federici as Arsenal went into halftime in complete control.
The second half began pretty much as expected, as Arsenal looked to increase their already considerable lead.
Walcott had a shot from a tight angle saved off the line by Mariappa, before the scoreline changed to 4-0.
Oxlade-Chamberlain shifted the ball from the right towards the middle to Wilshere, who quickly played through Podolski down the left. The German international played a perfect cross to the waiting Cazorla, who calmly swept it in from eight yards out to complete his hat-trick in the 60th minute.
Walcott was desperate for a goal, to cap his night while playing in a center forward position, but Federici again denied the 23-year-old a couple of minutes after the fourth goal.
Arsenal threw away their chances of keeping a clean sheet, with Kieran Gibbs giving away the ball cheaply in his own half, allowing Adam Le Fondre, who had just come on as a substitute, to put Reading on the board in the 66th minute.
The Arsenal jitters were in full flow soon after, as Jimmy Kebe, played onside by some poor defending, got in behind before slotting home in the 70th minute to make it a nervous 4-2 for the Gunners.
Arsenal slowed down the pace of the game, keeping possession, for the next ten minutes or so, before going up a couple of gears in an instant to score their fifth goal of the game, and immediately cutting down any chances of a comeback similar to the one in the League Cup.
Cazorla grabbed an assist to go along with his three goals, driving through the middle before playing through Walcott, who took a nice first touch with his right foot, and then curled one with his left into the bottom corner.
Arsene Wenger will no doubt be relieved to pick up a win and will demand a similar performance in their next game at Wigan Saturday.
