THERE was no need for trouble on the team coach after this result. Arsenal put the blip that was their Champions League draw with Rosenborg behind them to record a thumping win that had Alan Curbishley, the Charlton manager, acclaiming them as “the best club side in Europe, maybe the world”.

Curbishley said: “That’s 26 goals in eight games. On this form, nobody can get anywhere near them.” After a sluggish start, the league leaders romped to victory much as they pleased to extend their unbeaten run in the Premiership to 48 matches on an historic day — their 4,000th league fixture.

Not for the first time, Thierry Henry was the executioner in chief, scoring twice — his first a cheeky backheel through Jonathan Fortune’s legs that is a surefire contender for goal of the month.

Curbishley added: “When Henry scores like that, most people sit back and admire him and applaud the great player he is.”

Freddie Ljungberg, with a near post nudge, and Jose Antonio Reyes, with a dead-eyed finish, completed the scoring on an afternoon when Charlton were comprehensively outclassed.

As Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, observed afterwards, this was just the result, and the performance, his side needed after their disappointing excursion to Norway in midweek.

Wenger said: “We played well collectively, with great spirit. There was a question mark about the unity in the camp after Wednesday (when Patrick Vieira and Lauren had their well-publicised disagreement), and the players gave the right response, showing that we have no problem there.”

Charlton failed to come up with a single shot on target, managed only one corner and the poverty of this performance does not augur well for their attempts to improve on last season’s seventh-place finish. They looked more like a bottom-half team, with nobody a bigger disappointment than Danny Murphy, unrecognisable as the clever, industrious midfielder who distinguished himself for Liverpool and England. Sven-Göran Eriksson, who watched the match, will not be hurrying him back into the squad he names tonight. There were notable absentees on both sides. No doubt to the approval of Eriksson, Arsenal rested Ashley Cole after his midweek exertions. Charlton were without the erstwhile “Fox in the Box”, Francis Jeffers, possibly because hunting is set to be banned.

Arsenal went into a huddle that developed into a love-in immediately before the kick-off, as if to demonstrate that all was well again after that exchange of unpleasantries on the team coach. A somewhat surreal pre-match atmosphere bordered on the bizarre when the groundsman opted to water the pitch immediately before the start, this despite a threatening cloud covering which duly produced the inevitable downpour.

Charlton took their cue from the weather and played like an absolute shower. They seemed content to sit back and invite Arsenal to come on to them, and the league leaders were not about to spurn the invitation. Dennis Bergkamp was too close for Dean Kiely’s comfort with the first shot of the afternoon, a 20-yard skimmer, then Gael Clichy wasted what amounted to an open goal when he blazed over after Kiely had punched Henry’s right-wing cross straight to him. Henry himself was culpable when Francesc Fabregas, the 17-year-old from Barcelona, set him up and the master striker delayed shooting until he was at an impossible angle.

The crowd had been getting restless just before the goal Arsenal’s superiority warranted finally arrived after 33 minutes. Then Jason Euell carelessly conceded possession to Henry, who supplied Bergkamp on the right. Kiely forced him wide, to near the byline, but the Dutchman cut the ball back for Ljungberg to sweep it in at the near post.

One goal always seemed likely to be enough, but it was not sufficient for Arsenal, who added their remarkable second after 48 minutes. Bergkamp supplied Reyes, who found Henry at the near post. The Frenchman was close in, but had his back to goal with Fortune in hot-breath-on-the-neck attendance. There appeared to be no imminent danger, but Henry had other ideas, and backheeled the ball dexterously through Fortune’s legs and past the nonplussed goalkeeper.

“The second goal was the killer,” Curbishley said. “The way Arsenal are playing, most sides have it all to do not to be two down after 50 minutes.” Charlton’s first chance was delayed until the 54th minute when Graham Stuart shot wide from 12 yards.

Arsenal’s third came after 69 minutes when Reyes turned past Luke Young before squaring the ball to Henry, who thumped it home from 17 yards. The fourth came a minute later, Reyes receiving from Bergkamp and angling in a pin-point drive.

STAR MAN: Thierry Henry (Arsenal)

Player ratings. Arsenal: Lehmann 6, Lauren 7, Toure 7, Campbell 7, Clichy 7, Vieira 7, Ljungberg 7, (Pennant 48min, 7), Fabregas 7 (Flamini 83min, 7) Reyes 8, Bergkamp 7, Henry 8 (Van Persie 83min, 7).

Charlton: Kiely 5, Young 5, Stuart 5, (Holland 75min, 5), Perry 5, Kishishev 5, (Rommedahl 65min, 5), Euell, 5 (Johansson 65min, 5), Hreidarsson 5, Murphy 5, El-Karkouri 5, Fortune 5.

Scorers: Arsenal: Ljungberg 33, Henry 48, 69, Reyes 70

Referee: M Dean

Attendance: 38,103

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