Everton 1 - 6 Arsenal

Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen (No 5) celebrates after scoring the second of Arsenal's six goals

A summer of whispering doubt, silenced. Arsenal started this season apparently clutching desperately to their place at the Premier League’s top table, hoping against hope for a future that may never arrive. Within 41 minutes, it was evident rumours of their demise had been greatly exaggerated. Fighting for fourth? Threatened by the Eastlands oil billions? A club crippled by the forlorn hope of its stubborn manager? Arsène knows.

It is easy to get carried away at this time of the year. It is in mid-August when bold predictions are made. Yet it is no exaggeration to say that none of Manchesters United and City, Chelsea or Liverpool will come to Goodison Park and demolish Everton in as imperious a fashion as Arsene Wenger’s side.

The scoreline was, if anything, kind to David Moyes’s side. Denilson opened the scoring with a beautiful 20-yard shot from Cesc Fàbregas’s cut-back, Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas headed home unmarked from inviting free kicks and Fàbregas, deservingly, rolled the ball under Tim Howard after Robin van Persie set him clear just after the interval to complete the humiliation. He added the fifth with 20 minutes to go. The artistry of Wenger’s protégés, though, cannot be distilled into pure numbers.

The Frenchman’s revamped 4-2-3-1 formation purred, his attacking quartet interchanging positions and possession with effortless grace. Fàbregas orchestrated play and dictated tempo, inflicting the death by a thousand cuts which accounted for Everton’s defence. As the Spaniard milked the adulation of Arsenal’s travelling support after adding the fourth, his vanquished opponents stood awestruck.

Even amid the joy, Fabregas found time, after jauntily skipping through Everton’s midfield to add the fifth, to run to the bench and hold aloft a shirt bearing the name of Daniel Jarque, the Espanyol captain and Fabregas’s fellow Catalan who died of a heart attack last week. The Arsenal captain’s class extends off the pitch, too, it seems.

Behind him, Alex Song appears to have matured into the natural heir to the much-missed Mathieu Flamini, although that may, in fact, be unkind. Song is more elegant and more creative than the Frenchman.

The aspect that may have pleased Wenger most was the performance of Thomas Vermaelen, the new centre-back derided for a lack of height, who towered over every other player on the field. His reading of the game is expert, his tacking ferocious, his distribution flawless. He took everything Jo, Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill could throw at him. Arsenal’s fans sang his name inside the first 15 minutes. That may be some sort of record.

Had Manchester City been watching, they may have questioned why they want to pay £24 million for Joleon Lescott, who was helpless despite the unflinching support of a Goodison Park crowd who are desperate not to see him leave, when the Belgian international cost half that amount.

To suggest he was at fault for any of the goals would be to stretch a point, but his display was symptomatic of the general malaise which affected Everton here. Moyes suggested on Friday that the saga surrounding the England international’s future has “disrupted” the club. It sounded a cliché at the time, yet his players contrived to somehow bear out the truth in his statement. Moyes needs an end to the saga, and he needs it soon. The prospect of all that money for a player who is, while a fine defender, eminently replaceable, may be more appealing to the Scot this morning than it was 24 hours ago.

Arsenal scored a sixth goal after a shot from Arshavin hit the post and Eduardo tucked home the rebound. Everton managed a consolation through Louis Saha.

Moyes’ squad are a work in progress. Arsenal, on this form, are one nearing completion.

Man United 0-0 Arsenal

Committed: Wayne Rooney, centre fights for the ball against Arsenal's Denilson

Manchester United were today crowned champions of England for a record-equalling 18th time at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side might not have given Usain Bolt a goal to celebrate on his first visit to the Theatre of Dreams but the Premier League trophy will do as consolation after a goalless draw with Arsenal ensured Liverpool cannot now catch their north-west rivals.

After over three decades as the unquestioned kings of English football, the Merseysiders now have someone else to share the title with.

And, if Ferguson is to be believed it will not be long before the Anfield outfit lose it altogether.

While the first half ended with United still on course for the 11th league title of Ferguson's illustrious reign, Arsenal had every reason to be pleased with themselves.

After two dire displays that surrendered their Champions League semi-final with the Red Devils, plus a hammering on home soil by Chelsea, it was feared the Gunners would suffer yet another embarrassing mauling.

It surely could not be a coincidence that Andrey Arshavin's return from a combination of being cup-tied and contracting a flu bug coincided with Arsenal's return to form.

As Gunners fans search for reasons to be cheerful ahead of what will be another trophyless summer, the Russian playmaker is the main one.

Arshavin went on one mazy dribble from the left flank that would have opened United up totally had Jonny Evans not raced across to clear.

The former Zenit St Petersburg star was also the provider of a cross lone striker Robin van Persie might easily have steered into the net, rather than just over. However, the world's fastest man did not come to Old Trafford to watch Arsenal.

The hosts certainly started as if they meant business with Darren Fletcher almost sending Cristiano Ronaldo through inside the opening minute.

Yet, as time wore on, it seemed Ferguson's side were adopting a pragmatic approach to the situation, ensuring their goal was tight and secure, pushing forward in numbers only when really necessary.

The energy of Carlos Tevez helped in that regard. Sometimes it seems the South American is doing the work of two men. And, as the speculation over Tevez's future rumbles on, there is little doubt most United fans would want him signed permanently if at all possible.

It seems highly improbable though. And when he responded to his number 32 being flashed up as the man to be replaced by Park Ji-sung, the response, a little shake of the head and a two-handed wave to all four corners of the stadium, looked for all the world like a goodbye.

There has, of course, never been any discussion over Wayne Rooney. Had voting for the various player of the year awards been based on the last two or three months' form alone, Rooney would have been top of the pile.

The England striker has added an extra level of consistency to his game that truly deserves him now to be ranked if not at the very top of the game, then only just underneath.

Rooney stole in behind Bacary Sagna to head a teasing Michael Carrick cross wide after earlier having an effort deflected away by Kolo Toure.

On the brink of his 11th championship, Ryan Giggs curled a free-kick over and was then off target with a volley.

Ronaldo had an even better opportunity at the start of the second period after Tevez had failed to manage a shot after Carrick had supplied the cross, but did enough to nudge it into the Portugal superstar's path.

After offering his own sprinting guidance yesterday, Bolt must have thought Ronaldo would offer a fitting payment. Instead, he leant back and skied his shot into the Stretford End. In fairness, Bolt had chosen to come and watch his team on a rare day that they did not need to win.

For all the side issues surrounding Park's arrival, it suggested even less of an emphasis on attack, although Ronaldo did send one his trademark free-kicks whipping wide. It marked the end of United's attacking intent.

Fabregas and Van Persie had one last shot at spoiling the party. But with the trophy ready and the tickets sorted, it seemed a shame to stop it.

Arsenal 1-4 Chelsea

By the time Florent Malouda got the goal his fabulous performance deserved, Arsenal's supporters were already streaming for the exits, finished off for another season after finally losing the faith.

They were beaten by a team assembled for magic money, Arsene Wenger's latest barb at their big-spending neighbours after Chelsea handed out the mother of all beatings in Arsenal's backyard.

Gone backwards? More like gone at all levels.

Blues brothers: The Chelsea players celebrate Alex's goal

Key battles were not lost, they never even started. Mikael Silvestre versus Didier Drogba? No contest. Cesc Fabregas versus Frank Lampard? Forget it. Robin van Persie versus John Terry? An embarrassment.

It was a humbling experience for Wenger and his team, five days since Manchester United marched on to their territory and trampled all over them in the Champions League semi-final second leg.

Once Alex scored with a header in the 29th minute, they were done for, the shattered confidence draining the life out of their tired little limbs, barely able to string a pass together as Nicolas Anelka, an own goal by Kolo Toure and Malouda's 86th-minute strike saw them off.

They have not lost this badly in a home league game since 1977, when an emerging Ipswich side turned over Terry Neill's team at Highbury, crashing four past the Gunners as the glory years began under Bobby Robson.

Judging by events of the past five days, Arsenal's golden era has also gone, consigned to the time capsule that was buried under the main entrance when Arsenal made the �350million move to the Emirates in August 2006.

They occupy fourth position in the Barclays Premier League this morning, where they will remain until the final ball of the season is kicked against Stoke City on May 24, readying themselves for what is becoming an annual date with the Champions League qualifiers.
Match Facts

After this they need a summer to recover, to recharge the batteries and remind themselves that playing for Arsenal remains a great privilege. Their supporters deserve better, certainly better than this.

For 25 minutes they gave it a go, with Theo Walcott the most threatening Arsenal player, bounding his way past Chelsea's defenders and even poking his England team-mate Ashley Cole in the eye, much to the delight of the home support.

With a new 50,000-a-week contract in the post, he needed to show more composure in the opening minute, blasting his effort over Petr Cech's crossbar when Robin van Persie put him through.

So far so good as Arsenal peppered Cech's goal, with Abou Diaby sending another effort wide and Walcott steering an inviting chance to the right of the post. It appeared to be game on until Fabregas clipped Drogba's heels, earning an inevitable booking after motioning to referee Phil Dowd that the most unpopular striker in the history of English football had taken yet another dive.

From Drogba's subtle free-kick, Chelsea took the lead when Alex rose above the pathetic challenge of Silvestre to plant an excellent header beyond the reach of Lukasz Fabianski in the 29th minute.

Arsenal looked for a leader, someone who could drag them back into the game but Chelsea, inspired by the mazy dribbles and the ghosting runs of Malouda, were unstoppable.

Anelka scored their second just before half-time. It was too easy for the former Arsenal striker as he set himself up on the edge of the penalty area, fizzing a shot with the outside of his toe which spun away from Fabianski and into his bottom left corner.

Stretch too far: Arsenal keeper Fabianski can't get near Anelka's swerving shot

Chelsea's supporters, still hurting from the perceived injustice against Barcelona on Wednesday evening, lapped it up, reminding the opposition-of last month's mismatch at Wembley when they met in the FA Cup semi-final.

It got to Arsenal's players, notably Toure when he sent Cole's cross at the start of the second half beyond the stranded figure of Fabianski, a pitiful sight for this once great defender.

The believers, the survivors still in the stands, were given hope when Nicklas Bendtner's header in the 70th minute beat Cech, a well-taken effort which met with the approval of Arsenal's dwindling support.

Moments later their hopes of a comeback were destroyed when Anelka's angled effort rebounded off the post and Malouda restored Chelsea's three-goal advantage.

That was the signal for Arsenal's supporters to desert the stadium, turning their backs on the team as Chelsea's interim manager Guus Hiddink showed a playful side to his character by blowing kisses at them as they left.

After this, it might as well have been the kiss of death.

Kolo Toure Backs Young Gunners

Kolo Toure maintains Arsenal's youngsters will return stronger after being taught a Champions League lesson at the hands of holders Manchester United.

The Gunners' hopes of reaching the final in Rome were effectively ended after just 11 minutes at Emirates Stadium, where the holders raced into a 3-0 aggregate lead with two early goals.

Toure said: "Nobody was expecting a lot for us this season and we showed great spirit and we are really proud of what we have done.

Manager Arsene Wenger admitted it was one the most disappointing nights of his time in charge of the Gunners, whose last trophy came back in 2005 with the FA Cup.

Arsenal have secured fourth place in the Barclays Premier League following an unbeaten run of 21 matches, but another campaign which promised so much has failed to deliver. However, Toure is in no doubt the young squad will have learnt some important lessons after being exposed by the talent of Cristiano Ronaldo and England forward Wayne Rooney.

"We are not far behind those teams. We want to win and we will try to come back and be strong," declared the Ivory Coast defender.

"The only thing we can do at the minute is to just keep players, and if we can bring some more that would be fantastic.

"The spirit is good and we hope we are going to stick together and fight together again next season."

Toure is now fully focused on his future at Arsenal, having handed in a transfer request during January after a reported training ground bust-up with William Gallas.

"When you win trophies it becomes like a habit for you," he said. "This time we did not win anything, but when we get the first trophy, you will see more from Arsenal."

Wenger concedes Arsenal can't reach 'untouchable' United this season

Arsene Wenger admitted that Arsenal cannot catch Manchester United this season. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Arsène Wenger has publicly written off Arsenal's hopes of regaining the Premier League title this season, acknowledging Manchester United as "untouchable" at the top, and conceded that his side's principal aim over the rest of the campaign is a top-four finish and qualification for next year's Champions League.

Arsenal progressed into the fifth round of the FA Cup with Monday's comfortable 4–0 victory over Cardiff City, a game that saw Eduardo da Silva bolster the side's attacking options with a brace on his long-awaited return from injury, as they search for their first silverware since 2005. While the Gunners remain in contention in Europe – they play Roma in the first knockout phase of the Champions League next week – the team languish 12 points behind United in the Premier League and, critically, five adrift of Chelsea in fourth place.

"We're very consistent and on a very strong run," said Wenger after seeing his side extend their unbeaten sequence to 12 games in all competitions. "We missed scoring the goals that we're capable of recently, but are very consistent and promised ourselves that we'll give everything until the end of the season. Manchester United look untouchable because they're 12 points ahead and have a game tomorrow against Fulham they'll certainly win. Their results are very consistent.

"They win 1–0 and you think during the game that they may drop a point or maybe more, but they always manage to find somewhere the resources to win the game. If they win their game in hand they're 15 points in front, which means they need to lose five games. Say they lose one against us, then they still need to lose another four games. They haven't lost four games all season yet, but we'll try. I believe our basic target is to get into the Champions League."

Arsenal still have to play Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United before the end of the season and can make a real impact in the title race, though Wenger's sense of realism may reflect a private confidence that his side can flourish on the run-in to ensure a top-four finish. Eduardo was the first of a key group of players to return to the first team reckoning after injury, with the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Theo Walcott, Tomas Rosicky and Cesc Fábregas to follow.

The Spain midfielder expects to resume ball work towards the end of this month, with the Russia international Andrei Arshavin also in contention to make his mark with a likely debut against Sunderland this weekend following his £16m move from Zenit St Petersburg.

Eduardo said his goals against Cardiff made for "the best day of my life" and paid tribute to the club's fitness coach, Tony Colbert, for the support he had offered over a year-long recuperation from the horrific leg break and dislocated ankle he suffered at Birmingham City. "The second goal, I went to Tony," said the Croatia forward . "We worked so hard and he was like my second father. We spent a lot of time together every day, and I think this goal was special for him.

"It was a hard time but now I don't want to speak about the past. Last year, I was strong in my head. I was very positive thinking I will be back. I am now. I have to be because I feel I can play again like before. We have three or four months [left in] the championship – I am here to help Arsenal to be on top or in the first three. Now we are in the [fifth round of the] FA Cup, I want to get to the final and in the Champions League we want to go far."

Van Persie - Things are "not really working"

Robin Van Persie accepts things are ''not really working'' for Arsenal at the moment but has vowed the Gunners will soon get their campaign back on track.

Arsene Wenger's men survived the first-half dismissal of winger Emmanuel Eboue and injury to frontman Emmanuel Adebayor as they battled to earn a point in the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, which finished goalless at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

It was the second successive match in which the misfiring Gunners had failed to find the net. Indeed, Arsenal have now scored just one goal in their last 360 minutes of action in all competitions.

A Premier League title challenge has failed to materialise, with Wenger's men now six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

Van Persie - the club's leading scorer - accepts Arsenal's season has not gone according to plan lately, but he feels there are still reasons to be positive heading into the final 13 league matches.

''In the last three games we have had three draws and that is just not good enough,'' declared the Arsenal striker, whose last-gasp goal snatched a draw at Everton.

''It is six points missing - if we had those six points, but this is if, if, if. It is not really working. What can I say?''

Van Persie stressed: ''We are still creating the chances. Even with 10 men against Spurs we had a few chances. I am not really worried because we are still creating.

''Sometimes it is me to blame or a player to blame. Sometimes we are unlucky. Everybody can judge that for themselves.''

Wenger continues to believe his young squad have both the temperament and skill to become a major force once again.

With an unbeaten run now stretching to 11 Premier League games, albeit including six draws, Van Persie insists the shoots of recovery are already in place.

''We are working hard, but we know we are not there yet,'' said the Holland international, who has hit 13 goals so far this term.

''We are not scoring enough goals, we are not playing well enough - but everyone stays positive and we are trying to help each other.

''The basics are there, its just up to us to finish it off now.''

Striker Eduardo da Silva - on the bench at Tottenham following almost 12 months out because of a broken leg - is set to soon be back in contention for a start, while new signing Andrei Arshavin - also among the Arsenal substitutes at White Hart Lane - has yet to make his presence felt.

England winger Theo Walcott should be available again by the end of the month following shoulder surgery, with captain Cesc Fabregas hopeful he can return sooner than originally expected from a knee ligament injury.

With such talent waiting in the wings, Van Persie feels there is ''more to come'' from this Arsenal squad.

''Eduardo has been working really hard and everyone is just really happy that he is back. Hopefully he can play, the sooner the better,'' he said.

''Arshavin has looked good in training - they both have - so there is more to come. I really believe in their qualities.''

Full-back Gael Clichy suffered a nasty cut following a clash of heads with Tottenham forward Darren Bent late on in Sunday's game.

While the defender was withdrawn from the France squad for the midweek friendly against Argentina as a precaution, he is expected to recover in time for Arsenal's next match, which is not until next Monday when Cardiff come to the Emirates Stadium for an FA Cup fourth-round replay.

However, Togo striker Adebayor is set to be sidelined for around three weeks with a hamstring problem and so faces a race against time to be fit for the Champions League last-16 clash against Roma.