That generous act of comradeship told much about the spirit and camaraderie which appears to be propelling Arsenal to a spectacular Double.

If they beat Charlton tomorrow at The Valley Arsenal -restored as title favourites by the bookies at 10-11 - will leapfrog Liverpool and Manchester United to top the Premiership by a point with a game in hand over their nearest rivals.

And while cruciate-victim Pires is their latest big-name casualty in a season when Highbury has resembled a weekly episode of ER it is the quality of those returning which fills manager Arsene Wenger with justifiable confidence that the Premiership and FA Cup trophies will be glittering in the famous Marble Halls come May.

Martin Keown could return from his broken leg against Charlton, though Tony Adams reported no discomfort after leading Arsenal to a 3-0 win over relegation-haunted Sunderland in his 500th league game for the club. Ray Parlour and Lauren are also on the cusp of comebacks.

‘‘Injury-wise it has been our worst season but we have the strength of character and solidarity in the team that gets us through,’’ explained Wenger after seeing Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp and Sylvain Wiltord score the goals in a whirlwind first half-hour.

‘‘Everybody is working a bit harder because we want to do it for Robert and Giovanni and the other players who are out of it but who have contributed to the position we are now in.’’

That position is one of increasing solidity and Wenger was pleased to pick up no further injuries nor bookings, something of a rarity for Arsenal, on Saturday which might have interfered with a run-in which is looking increasingly favourable.

‘‘We need Ray Parlour and Lauren back because they are versatile players who can play in the midfield in any position and with the games coming up it would be interesting to get them in on Monday,’’ said Wenger.

‘‘At the moment we can’t change at all. We have nobody like Robert Pires and so we are trying to find a new balance with Edu and Freddie Ljunberg who goes off the ball, behind the defence and who is sharp.’’

It was a penetrative balance which carried far too much weight for a Sunderland team who have scored just 24 goals all season and have slipped to fifth from bottom, just three points from relegation.

‘‘With our pace and pressure we caught Sunderland by surprise,’’ said Wenger.

‘‘They looked to lack confidence at the start but they came back into it and gave us a hard battle.

Phillips had a chance to make it 2-1 but after that it was quite comfortable.

‘‘It was a great feat for Adams to reach his 500th game and he looked sharp. For me he is looking better and better and there is no reaction at the moment. He says it is the best he has felt for a long time.’’

The most pleasing aspect for Wenger, however, is that Arsenal have protected their advantage with the quality of their own performances.

‘‘We are not obsessed by watching the other teams,’’ he said. ‘‘We know it is down to our quality and how we play. That takes a lot of pressure out of our game.

‘‘It is a big game against Charlton, a big derby and always a difficult place to go. But we feel strong away from home and confident.’’

The fact that they no longer have the distraction of the Champions League, in a week in which Manchester United and Liverpool face tough midweek opposition against Deportivo La Coruna and Bayer Leverkusen respectively, also gives them an edge.

According to Sunderland manager Peter Reid that will prove the decisive factor.

‘‘I think Arsenal will win the title,’’ said Reid. ‘‘I love Manchester United and the way they play and Liverpool have had a tremendous season but Arsenal have got a lot of goals in them and on top of that they’re out of Europe.’’

Arsenal might be gutted about that but it puts them in pole position for the Premiership.’’