The 21-year-old was a controversial omission from Fabio Capello's ill-fated World Cup squad, only to be welcomed back into the England fold following the dismal display in South Africa.

Walcott produced a stunning display as he tore the Seasiders apart from kick-off, sweeping the Gunners into an 11th-minute lead.

Andrey Arshavin made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after defender Ian Evatt had been sent off for a foul on Marouane Chamakh, which looked to have taken place just outside the box.

Walcott added a third before the break, with Abou Diaby slotting home number four at the start of the second half and the England man - whose only international goals came with a famous hat-trick in Croatia during September 2008 - then securing the match ball with another well-taken finish.

Chamakh headed in a sixth goal on 83 minutes, but it was Walcott who stole the headlines.

"Theo is more electric than he has been," Wenger declared.

The Manchester United striker has been getting a lot of stick from the fans and media for his loss of form in front of goal but former England manager, Terry Venables is adamant that Rooney does not need to score goals to be useful for the Red Devils.

In his column for The Sun, Venables said:"I've mentioned Gazza and there are indeed many similarities with Rooney. Just like Wayne, he wanted to win games single-handedly, score breathtaking goals and walk off with man-of-the-match awards.

"But, like Wayne, he also had periods when he didn't score and critics would start whispering about a crisis.

"But every time that happened, I said to Paul: 'Just go out there and do everything else you bring to our team. Go out and beat players, go out and split open the opposition with breathtaking passes - go out there, and enjoy yourself.'

"Rooney's exactly the same and if that's a crisis, then I suspect there's 19 other Premier League managers who'd like to have it as well!"

Venables was also quick to add that the rest of the United players have what it takes to carry the team forward while Rooney continues to find his form and hopefully break his goalscoring duck.

John Arne Riise put the visitors in front in the 21st minute, but Goran Pandev levelled four minutes before the break at the San Siro.

Samuel Eto'o scored in the 70th and 80th minutes to give Rafa Benitez a winning start on the Inter bench and earn the Nerazzurri their first success of the 2010/11 season.

Inter can go on to clinch six trophies in 2010 by winning the European Super Cup against Atletico Madrid next weekend and the FIFA Club World Cup in December, to add to the Serie A title, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League they won last season under Jose Mourinho.

Benitez relied upon the players he inherited from Mourinho in his starting XI, while Roma coach Claudio Ranieri also fielded the same team which pushed the Nerazzurri close for the Scudetto last season.

Francesco Totti and Mirko Vucinic led the Giallorossi attack with former Inter forward Adriano starting on the bench.

Wesley Sneijder had two decent efforts within the first 10 minutes with his second attempt going just a few feet over the crossbar from 20 yards.

Ozil is Madrid's latest capture, having signed for los Blancos from Werder Bremen this week and has been on a public relations spree ever since he arrived in Madrid.

In latest comments quoted by the club's official website, he said: "I always watch the derbies, the Clasicos and games between Real Madrid and great teams like Valencia, though I wasn't able to watch many weekend games because I was playing at the same time. La Liga is one of the strongest football competitions in the world, so I'm delighted to be here.

"The game is stronger here because the championship has many of the best players in the world, like Ronaldo and Kaka."
The World Cup semi-finalist with Germany once again explained just how his move to Europe's most successful club came to fruition, reiterating his respect for Mourinho.

"I think Real Madrid are the best team in the world and they have some of the world's best players, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and many more. I am delighted to be here with them.

"I am also proud to have a coach like Jose Mourinho want me on this team. That's the real reason I'm here. He is one of the best coaches in the world. It is a privilege to be able to work with him. I am anxious to start.