Arsene Wenger had warned of an immediate backlash from Arsenal's French World Cup trio.
But the force of it when it duly came against Birmingham at Highbury was such that it was more than just a statement of intent for a new season.
Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord and Patrick Vieira had been shadows of their normal selves in the Far East amid France's embarrassing early exit.
Henry had his say after only nine minutes when he struck the early opener, albeit with a helping hand by keeper Nico Vaesen, and was a constant thorn in the visitors' side thereafter.
His strike was followed by Wiltord's mesmerising solo effort as Birmingham began to be comprehensively outplayed.
This victory, which established a Premiership record of 14 consecutive league wins, was founded on the same virtues of pace, movement and teamwork that took them to the title.
While Birmingham’s Senegalese debutant Aliou Cisse was given his marching orders after a tackle on Ashley Cole resulted in a second yellow card.