Arsenal 1 Chelsea 4THERE WERE pockets of chorused defiance at the end from those who remained amid swathes of empty seats, but Arsenal's fans must be growing weary of brutal reminders that their team are so painfully off the pace. Arsene Wenger suffered his heaviest home league defeat as this club's manager here yesterday. What made it all the more humiliating was that Chelsea hardly had to break into a sweat to inflict it.
Wenger remains committed to his vision of the club's future but his insistence that this was far from a poor performance, and that all remains essentially rosy, did seem delusional. The past week has been so chastening that another summer of prudence and youthful acquisitions geared at the long term will surely not be tolerated by those who were grumbling their way from the arena long before the end.
Manchester United had arrived in north London last Tuesday with the Champions League semi-final apparently in the balance, only to breeze to comfortable success. Chelsea, a side still smarting from their own elimination from Europe, took time to find their feet but, once their hangovers had cleared, ran riot.
Arsenal had actually excelled against other members of the elite quartet this season until the run-in but this suggested the top three remain some way distant. They had not lost a league game this heavily at home since 1977, with defeat bringing a shuddering halt to a 21-game unbeaten run which had inflated optimism after a sloppy start to the campaign. That sequence, if admirable, has now been put into context. Wenger's team will finish fourth, and their opponents in August's qualifier for next season's Champions League could potentially be awkward.
Their defence has disintegrated in the last week, William Gallas's absence with a knee injury keenly felt and Manuel Almunia's ankle complaint ruling him out here. Mikael Silvestre is a shadow of his former self, and the sight of Kolo Toure wearily running the ball out of play for a corner betrayed his lack of belief. This group is horribly fallible. Wenger attempted to deflect attention from their vulnerability by pointing to errors in midfield, though the blame could have been justifiably spread throughout.
Chelsea wavered only twice, first through a sluggish opening and then once the game was won. The home support clung to hope in each brief period, but their team lacked the teeth to tear a hole in the visitors' rearguard. Nicklas Bendtner was summoned from the bench to head in Bacary Sagna's cross, his 15th goal of the season, but that proved scant consolation. Theo Walcott, all excellent approach play but little bite, Silvestre, Abou Diaby and Robin van Persie all failed to convert from close-range. Emmanuel Adebayor, who entered to a smattering of boos, tumbled too easily over Jose Bosingwa and Petr Cech when offered sights at goal. His confidence has anchored and faith in his ability is waning.
Guus Hiddink's side revelled in their hosts' deficiencies. Chelsea were excellent - rugged, ruthless, imposing - and some of the nightmarish memories of Andres Iniesta, Tom Henning Ovrebo and Barcelona have been exorcised. Didier Drogba, who will be charged by Uefa this week for his post-match abuse of the Norwegian official, played with the sense of a man who knew his every move was being scrutinised. He was a colossus helping his defenders at set-pieces, and a nuisance at the other end.
Cesc Fabregas caught him just before the half-hour and, even if the Ivorian tumbled too eagerly, the free-kick awarded was legitimate. Drogba's delivery saw Alex thump a header in off the crossbar and Arsenal were sunk.
It became a procession thereafter, with the home side befuddled and prone. Nicolas Anelka, swerving away from Samir Nasri, belted in from distance beyond a shellshocked Lukasz Fabianski. The former Arsenal striker refused to celebrate, but he might have added a third before the interval - the Pole making amends - before Toure, stretching to reach Ashley Cole's cross, inadvertently settled the contest four minutes into the second half.
Briefly, as Hiddink's team sat back, it appeared Arsenal might eke out more unmerited reward though Chelsea only had to generate interest to re-establish their comfortable lead. Michael Essien and the excellent Frank Lampard combined to liberate Florent Malouda and, after Fabianski had saved and Anelka belted against a post, the winger tapped in the fourth.
GuardianService
