As he sits without expression through a match, what do you see in Steve Coppell? Pragmatism is probably the most striking quality and what you see is what you get from Coppell.

He did not seriously believe Reading could get a result at the Emirates stadium yesterday, picked his team accordingly and would not have been in the least surprised at the result.

Coppell understands how perilous the team’s situation is and whether they can survive in the Premier League will be decided over the final three games of the season against Wigan, Tottenham and Derby. So he omitted six of the team that played last weekend and settled for an afternoon of damage limitation. At 2-0, he could even claim some success in this respect but it is not something to boast about. And it didn’t make for much of a match.

Arsenal would not have complained because after their recent travails, they appreciated an opposition that amounted to a pushover. Sure, the Gunners might have scored six or seven but yesterday wasn’t the first occasion this season when the finishing was not commensurate with the approach work. Robin van Persie did hit the underside of the bar with a free kick, Theo Walcott struck another shot on to the bar and for endless possession all that Arsenal got was a fine Emmanuel Adebayor goal and a fortuitous one from Gilberto Silva.

Perhaps the most interesting thing to come out of the Emirates yesterday was Arsène Wenger’s reflection on a season that has just passed his team by. It was, said the manager, easily the greatest disappointment of his time at the club but he also insisted the quality of the football was the best yet he has seen from an Arsenal team.

There was also a hint of the manager’s frustration at the level of expectation. “What people want from us is that we spend £100m less than our rivals, that we play fantastic football, win the league by miles, and on top of that make a profit,” said Wenger. “And if that doesn’t work, then everything is rubbish.”

The manager was a little more upbeat about yesterday’s performance and pleased that his team was able to find the energy and enthusiasm to brush aside Reading. He didn’t give the visitors any credit for being so ordinary but he might well have done.

Coppell’s team had five across midfield and Dave Kitson up front to chase the lost causes. Their plan was to hold out for as long as possible. Let us give them some credit because their pressing game was effective for about 30 minutes and restricted Arsenal to a couple of set-piece chances. Then the first goal arrived on the half-hour and that was it.

Kolo Toure linked with Walcott down the right before the full-back played a precise pass to Adebayor, who had stolen a couple of yards on Ibrahima Sonko.

Adebayor’s first touch was perfect and that gave him the time to steady himself before sweeping the ball wide of the Reading goalkeeper, Marcus Hahnemann, and into the corner of the net.

Reading’s plan was undone by the goal and thereafter, they never pressed with the same enthusiasm. However, neither were they panicked into throwing caution to the wind. They kept things tight and were a little unfortunate eight minutes later when Andre Bikey’s desperate attempt to block Gilberto’s shot resulted only in a glancing header that deflected the ball away from Hahnemann and into the roof of the net. The game was over as a contest, if it was truly a contest in the first place.

Reading got a little more into it in the second half but the difference was barely noticeable. Cesc Fabregas continued to orchestrate things in midfield, Walcott made some good runs and Van Persie continued to work extremely hard. But all that couldn’t stop the game petering out to a predictable conclusion.

The surprise came after the match when Fabregas was asked a question about his future. With six years remaining on his contract at Arsenal, it might be imagined his future is settled. But there was something in the way he said “I hope my future belongs to Arsenal” that invited further questions. They were answered less than an hour later by Fabregas, pledging his loyalty to Arsenal on the club’s website. The feeling, though, remains that the club will soon have to put him on to a wage close to players of similar stature at other Premier League clubs. One admires the efficiency with which Arsenal run their club but they operate in a league where the going rate is sometimes greater than theirs.

Wenger’s belief is that the disappointment of this season must not shake one’s belief in the future for his team. Yet he also admitted his young players still have progress to make. Late in yesterday’s game Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner had chances to put Van Persie through but Walcott went for his own shot and Bendtner chose the wrong pass.

That happens, but Van Persie’s frustration was just too vehement to be healthy and there remains the feeling that while Arsenal’s team is very much together, the unity within the squad is not quite what it might be. There was the disagreement between Adebayor and Bendtner earlier in the year, William Gallas’s criticism of Walcott and in terms of togetherness, the Gunners are not quite in the league as Manchester United.

Star man: Cesc Fabregas

Arsenal: Lehmann 6, Toure 7 (Eboue 60min, 6), Gallas 6, Song Billong 6, Clichy 6, Walcott 6, Fabregas 8, Gilberto 6, Hleb 5 (Denilson 74min), Van Persie 7, Adebayor 6 (Bendtner 73min)

Reading: Hahnemann 7, Murty 5, Sonko 5 (Duberry 73min), Ingimarsson 6, Rosenior 6, Bikey 6, Kebe 4 (Matejovsky 79min), Cisse 4, Harper 6 (Fae 73min), Convey 5, Kitson 6

Yellow cards: Reading: Kitson, Bikey, Sonko
Referee: P Walton
Attendance: 60,109