Alexis Sánchez didn’t score in his first eight Arsenal appearances this season.

He started six of those games and frequently managed to get shots away, but simply wasn’t clinical. Well, he’s making up for it now.

For club and country, he’s scored 10 goals in his last six games. Just for Arsenal, he’s scored in four consecutive games. Two of those games – including Saturday’s 3-0 defeat of Watford – he’s scored the opener, and has netted a total of seven goals (one every 48.7 minutes) since breaking his duck against Leicester in September.

“He is so confident that he always goes forward, pushes the defenders backwards,” Arsène Wenger said of the forward after Saturday’s win. “I must say he was absolutely outstanding again today.”

Alexis’ importance is growing, but he is complimented by the excellence of players around him. Mesut Özil has been in superb form, and Arsenal have two of the most dangerous players in England when they play well together.

There have been concerns over Alexis’ fitness but, with Arsenal facing Bayern Munich on Tuesday and in the midst of what could become a fierce title race, he won’t be given a rest anytime soon.