AFTER GUNNERS ROMP

Wenger (left) defended Sanchez’s absence, saying: “He has flu. I have spoken to him through text.

“We have been in touch with him and his doctor. He will come back as soon as possible.

“There is no basic problem. Instead of tomorrow he will come back on Tuesday. There’s no development – he’s staying.”

Pressed further on the nature of the exchange, the Frenchman added: “I cannot reveal what he said to me. It was a secret conversation.”

After scoring five it was difficult to choose which player should receive top billing. But in an open encounter Walcott and left-back Sead Kolasinac were the stand-outs.

England international Walcott will be one of those asked to fill the void if Sanchez moves on and, perhaps sensing that, the 28-year-old proved himself a constant menace.

He scored two, saw his cross diverted into the net for the third and should have had a hat-trick but blazed over when Olivier Giroud set him up in the second-half.

As for Kolasinac, the deftness in his left foot belies a physique which is going to scare the life out of a fair few opponents this season. He is built like a Bosnian outhouse. And it was through his hard work that the Gunners equalised Franco Cervi’s surprise 12th-minute opener, the defender robbing the Eagles’ Pizzi on the byline and pulling back for Walcott to thump home.

Then Kolasinac linked up with Francis Coquelin, who squared for Walcott to sidefoot the second.

After Eduardo Salvio’s deflected effort evened up matters going into the break, Arsenal hit top gear.

Lisandro diverted Walcott’s cross past his own keeper, Reiss Nelson centred for Giroud to poke home and then the France international set up Alex Iwobi for the fifth.