As Arsenal wound down the clock by keeping hold of the ball for the final few minutes of this routine victory, the electronic boards around the pitch at the Emirates Stadium started advertising a computer game called Ultimate Team. Apparently it is available to download, but why waste your money on virtual reality when you can see the real thing in North London?

It is far too early to mention this Arsenal team in the same breath as the Invincibles of 2003-04 or the side who won the title at Anfield 20 years ago, but in terms of potential they are in a class of their own. Arsène Wenger had to rebuild his midfield after losing Alexander Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva last summer and after a difficult autumn his young side are growing in stature at the right time. Arsenal are the only team in the Barclays Premier League who have not lost this year and they have not conceded a league goal at home since the 1-1 draw with Liverpool in December.

Those statistics, and the fact that Arsenal have muscled their way back into the top four and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and quarter-finals of the Champions League, are a timely response to the moaners who said that this was Wenger’s worst Arsenal side and the groaners who embarrassed themselves by suggesting that the manager was past his sell-by date.

However, brushing aside Manchester City – who cannot buy an away win despite being the richest club in the world – and remaining unbeaten for 17 league matches will mean nothing unless Arsenal win a trophy for the first time in four years. Wenger is so single-minded in his determination to succeed on that front that he has put all contract talks with players such as Cesc Fàbregas and Robin van Persie on hold until the summer.

“We have to focus completely on the short term because there are such important targets in front of us,” Wenger said. “It is a period when players have to be completely committed for us to be successful.”

While Arsenal turn their attention to Villarreal in the quarter-finals of the Champions League tomorrow, City face two matches against Hamburg in the last eight of the Uefa Cup that will make or break their season and go a long way to deciding whether Mark Hughes is still at the City of Manchester Stadium for the next campaign.

The City manager was so incensed by this spineless performance that he kept his players in the dressing-room for an hour after the final whistle and the relationship between Robinho and Craig Bellamy appears to be so strained that the City forwards hardly passed to each other. A lack of communication and leadership appeared to be a problem throughout the side, especially in defence, where Richard Dunne and Nedum Onuoha failed to cope with Emmanuel Adebayor playing as a lone striker.

The Togo forward did not even have to jump when he put Arsenal in front with a simple header from a free kick taken by Fàbregas in the eighth minute and he doubled his team’s lead at the start of the second half by beating Shay Given from close range.

Arsenal (4-4-1-1): M Almunia 7 B Sagna 7 K Touré 7 W Gallas 7 G Clichy 7 T Walcott 7 A Song 7 Denilson 8 A Arshavin 7 F Fàbregas 8 E Adebayor 8 Substitutes: N Bendtner 6 (for Adebayor, 70min), E Eboué 6 (for Walcott, 70), A Ramsey (for Fàbregas, 79). Not used: L Fabianski, M Silvestre, J Djourou, K Gibbs. Next: Wigan Athletic (a).

Man City (4-5-1): S Given 6 M Richards 6 N Onuoha 5 R Dunne 5 W Bridge 5 S Wright-Phillips 7 P Zabaleta 5 N de Jong 5 V Kompany 5 Robinho 5 C Bellamy 4 Substitutes: G Fernandes 5 (for Bridge, 17min), Elano 6 (for Kompany, 38), D Sturridge (for Robinho, 76). Not used: J Hart, V Bojinov, J Garrido, B Mwaruwari. Next: Fulham (h).

Referee H Webb Attendance 60,097

Santi Cazorla, the Villarreal midfield player, will miss the rest of the season after breaking his right ankle during his team’s 3-0 defeat away to Almeria on Saturday. Villarreal also had Robert Pires sent off, but the former Arsenal midfield player will be able to play against his former teammates tomorrow night in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Spain. Marcos Senna, the Spain midfield player, returns for Villarreal after an ankle injury.