But with Sir Alex Ferguson watching on from the stands, the new generation of Fergie, son Darren, the Doncaster manager, nearly bloodied the nose of the auld enemy on behalf of his dad.
Twice late in the game David Ospina came to the home side’s rescue as Arsenal struggled to see off their League One opponents despite Theo Walcott’s first-half goal.
Each time – first a sharp chance from Liam Mandeville, then a dipping shot from Matty Blair – Ferguson Junior danced about the Emirates in despair.
Wenger is, of course, the same gnarled old figure that always has been here – and, if what happened at the end of last season is anything to go by, probably always will.
But in a nod to youth, he changed all 11 of the team which got a creditable point at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and no doubt aged somewhat further when Doncaster’s Rodney Kongolo had the first shot on target after 16 seconds.
Ospina was equal to it, however, and Walcott was similarly denied at the other end in a frantic opening 90 seconds after which Arsenal found their feet.
Olivier Giroud felt he was denied a penalty when grappled by Andy Butler, the only Doncaster-born player in the League One side. He had promised his son Ashton an Arsenal shirt for his birthday tomorrow and seemed overly keen to procure one at the earliest opportunity.
Referee Scott Duncan waved play on and Giroud’s response in the sixth minute was an unexpected one – an acrobatic scissor-kick against the bar.
Inevitably, an opening goal arrived in the 25th minute as Arsenal showed the strength of their reserve side – Chile international Alexis Sanchez picking out Walcott, who controlled neatly and flicked the ball over Ian Lawlor and into the net.
This was an opportunity for Giroud, Sanchez, Walcott and Jack Wilshere to shake off the last vestiges of summer rust and press their claims for a Premier League place, although the time they had on the ball last night will never translate to the cut and thrust of a top-flight clash.
For all Doncaster’s attempts to mount a serious threat, this was an exhibition, with Wilshere spraying passes around with ease and Sanchez seemingly on a personal mission to curl the ball into the back of the net from the goal-line.
The visitors, though, were determined not to be taken lightly and an effort from Alfie May into the side-netting will have raised the temperature of Wenger’s half-time team talk.
Walcott, put through by Giroud, should have settled the match within four minutes of the restart but fired over.
Doncaster refused to lie down. Alfie May threatened to break from the half-way line amid the shock induced by yet another Giroud over-head attempt.
Ferguson, a stoic figure on the edge of his technical area throughout, rang the changes in the hope that fresh legs could take advantage of Arsenal’s passing that was becoming far too wayward.
At one point Sanchez juggled the ball in the air for 25 yards before playing an over-elaborate chip that ran straight through to the goalkeeper. It had become that sort of exercise.
Doncaster struggled to find the crucial pass to make Arsenal pay for their showboating and even when a horrendous Ainsley Maitland-Niles miskick on the half-way line gifted Ben Whiteman a clear run on goal, there was simply not enough power in the legs.