Arsenal 4 Portsmouth 1

The Premier League game between Arsenal and Portsmouth at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday Aug 22, 2009.

It would be brave just now to bet on Portsmouth to win any football match but the fixture computer had seemed particularly cruel to present them with a trip to the Emirates this weekend.

A clash between the Premier League’s form team and crisis club duly produced the obvious outcome, with Arsenal following up last week’s 6-1 drubbing of Everton with an equally emphatic 4-1 victory here.

Ten goals in two games is some start. Portsmouth’s winless streak against Arsenal spans more than 50 years and, although Younes Kaboul did at least score their first away league goal since March, a brace from Abou Diaby and further goals from William Gallas and Aaron Ramsey ensured that sequence was never seriously threatened.

With matches against Celtic and Manchester United to come over the next seven days, Arsene Wenger presumably had the team’s schedule in mind when he made four outfield changes from the side that had begun the season so well against Everton.

Nicklas Bendtner, Gael Clichy, Alex Song and Bacary Sagna were among the substitutes as Emmanuel Eboue, Diaby, Kieran Gibbs and Eduardo all started.

It also meant a subtle shift in Arsenal’s fluid system, with Denilson operating as the holding midfielder and Diaby given licence to join Cesc Fabregas in support of a three-pronged attack of Andrei Arshavin, Robin van Persie and Eduardo.

Although Portsmouth had demonstrated a certain defensive resilience in their 1-0 defeats against Fulham and Birmingham, they experienced immediate difficulties in picking up Diaby’s bursts forward.

This was evident twice in the space of just five devastating first-half minutes.

First Fabregas found Eduardo on the left, whose clever run and cut-back was drilled emphatically into the top corner and then, moments later, the Arsenal captain split Portsmouth’s defence down the right and Eboue teed up Diaby for the simplest of finishes.

Not even 25 minutes had elapsed but David James, who was making his 550th top-flight appearance, already knew it would be a long and busy afternoon under the watchful eyes of England manager Fabio Capello.

He did make three excellent saves to deny Van Persie after 31, 40 and 43 minutes, but there was an inevitability about more goals. Unexpectedly, though, one came at the Arsenal end when Kaboul out-jumped Manuel Almunia to head into an empty goal.

Arsenal were placed under further pressure at the beginning of the second-half, with William Gallas appearing fortunate to escape punishment for a challenge on John Utaka. Gallas then enjoyed further good luck when he scored off his face from a corner to re-establish Arsenal’s two-goal advantage.

The victory was sealed when Ramsey, on as a half-time substitute for Fabregas, collected Van Persie’s accurate pass and shot beyond James.

A miserable afternoon for Portsmouth was further compounded when James, who has recently undergone knee surgery, limped from the pitch with 15 minutes remaining.