MATCH SPY: Arsenal (0) 1 Bendtner 70. Chelsea (2) 4 Alex 28, Anelka 39, Toure 49(og), Malouda 86. Att: 60,075 Arsene Wenger claimed Chelsea s thumping victory was never a 4-1 as his side s 21-match unbeaten league run was left in ruins on Sunday. A ruthless Chels

Arsenal (0) 1 Bendtner 70.

Chelsea (2) 4 Alex 28, Anelka 39, Toure 49(og), Malouda 86.

Att: 60,075

Arsene Wenger claimed Chelsea's thumping victory was "never a 4-1" as his side's 21-match unbeaten league run was left in ruins on Sunday.

A ruthless Chelsea inflicted Arsenal's heaviest home league defeat since Ipswich's 4-1 win at Highbury in March 1977 - but the Gunners boss was left scratching his head.

"You can be very positive or very negative," he said. "That is never a 4-1 game, we should have been 2-0 up before they had a shot on goal. We missed seven or eight clear-cut chances and on every single mistake we made we were punished."

Theo Walcott, Alex Song and Abou Diaby spurned three great chances in the opening stages as Arsenal dominated, before Chelsea took an unexpected 2-0 interval lead through a thumping Alex header and a stunning long-range drive from former Gunner Nicolas Anelka.

Arsenal were left stunned and it got worse when Kolo Toure put through his own net four minutes after the restart to make it 3-0 to the visitors.

Substitute Nicklas Bendter's header gave the homeside hope, but Florent Malouda scored from close range with four minutes remaining to give the result a lop-sided look.

The result confirmed Arsenal will finish in fourth place - and must play in the final Champions League qualifying round against an unseeded side in August instead of progressing directly into the group stages.

"We had a small opportunity to come third but three months ago everybody said we would finished tenth so I would have signed at that point to finish fourth," said Wenger, who had watched his side's second heavy home defeat in under a week, after Manchester United's 3-1 win the previous Tuesday.

"What is very disappointing for us is in the games that mattered in the last three or four weeks we couldn't win. That's where we have to analyse."

Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink added: "It shows, first of all, that Chelsea are one of the two or three biggest clubs performing in Europe - but it will also give Arsenal a lot to think about.

"It might be a considerable blow and show them what they have to do."

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