HOWZAT

“At the moment I don’t know what funds will be available,” Wenger said. “I will be told by the club. I believe we need to continue to improve. Things are not as doom and gloom as everybody wants to make it after a defeat.

“We play in a strong league with opponents who are top quality. We have to continue to improve, but the areas where it is right. It’s not about quantity of money, necessarily. You wouldn’t like to come out and say we’ll buy four defenders. I feel we have quality defenders. It’s more a question of balance.”

To linger so long on Arsenal’s deficiencies is an injustice to Chelsea, who demonstrated impressive resilience to respond to their own Champions League exit by sealing qualification for next season’s group stage. Drogba was a menace for the right reasons, Malouda continued his recent upsurge in form and it is difficult to see them failing to provide Guus Hiddink with the silverware his outstanding work as interim manager clearly merits by winning the FA Cup.

It is equally hard to envisage a trophy of any description ending up in the hands of Arsenal, whose best hope of success lies with their women’s team, who claimed another title yesterday. The four years that have passed since the men’s last triumph is testing fans’ patience, although Wenger risked being accused of rudeness when he snapped that “everybody is free to leave the stadium when he wants” in response to a query about the mass walkout.

Not even Wenger can look on the bright side all of the time.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): L Fabianski 6 - B Sagna 6, K Touré 5, M Silvestre 4, K Gibbs 5 - A Song 5, A Diaby 6 - T Walcott 6, C Fàbregas 6, S Nasri 5 - R van Persie 6. Substitutes: N Bendtner 6 (for Diaby, 59min), Denilson 5 (for Song, 67), E Adebayor 6 (for Walcott, 68). Not used: A Ramsey, J Djourou, V Mannone, E Eboué. Next: Man Utd (a)

Chelsea: (4-2-3-1): P Cech 6 - J Bosingwa 6, Alex 6, J Terry 6, A Cole 7 - M Essien 6, J O Mikel 6 - N Anelka 6, F Lampard 7, F Malouda 7 - D Drogba 7. Substitutes: B Ivanovic (for Bosingwa, 77min), M Ballack (for Malouda, 88). Not used: F Di Santo, S Kalou, J Belletti, Hilário, M Mancienne. Next: Blackburn (h)

Referee: P Dowd Attendance: 60,075