The way this country is going, someone is going to use the Freedom of Information Act to ask to see Arsène Wenger’s expenses. The Arsenal manager had to put up with angry supporters questioning his methods recently and it will be a long time before he forgives the shareholder who asked him whether he had taught his players how to defend corners.

The individual in question was presumably at the Emirates Stadium yesterday and he will have been squirming in his seat – or jumping around – as Arsenal raced into a 4-1 lead playing some of the best football that Wenger’s team have produced this season.

One of the drawbacks of supporting a team in London is getting stuck in traffic or being held up on the Underground, so spare a thought for the couple who turned up half an hour late yesterday – they missed two penalties and four goals.

Stoke City were so outclassed that Ricardo Fuller resorted to showing an Arsenal supporter the middle finger when he was substituted in the second half. Fuller scored from the penalty spot after he had been tripped by Denilson in the 31st minute, but Arsenal were 3-0 up when the Jamaica forward started his run-up.

A comical own goal by James Beattie put Arsenal ahead in the tenth minute and a penalty by Robin van Persie, after he had been tripped by Ryan Shawcross, and a header by Abou Diaby ended the game as a meaningful contest. Fuller’s spot-kick made it 3-1 before Van Persie added Arsenal’s fourth on the stroke of half-time with a neat swivel and volley.

A second half that failed to match the thrills and spills of the opening 45 minutes was played to a soundtrack of more than 50,000 Arsenal supporters singing: “There’s only one Arsène Wenger.” There was even a banner in the crowd and this being Arsenal it was in French: “Arsène, On t’aime toujours”. Yeah, right.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): V Mannone 7 – B Sagna 7 (sub: E Eboué, 57min 7), K Touré 7, A Song 7, K Gibbs 7 – A Diaby 8, Denilson 7 – T Walcott 8 (sub: N Bendtner, 46min 6), F Fàbregas 7, A Arshavin 7 (sub: C Vela, 71) – R van Persie 8. Substitutes not used: W Szczesny, A Ramsey, M Silvestre, J Djourou. Booked: Denilson.

Stoke City (4-4-1-1): S Simonsen 4 (sub: T Sorensen, 21 7) – A Wilkinson 5, R Shawcross 4, A Faye 6, C Dickinson 4 – L Lawrence 5, G Whelan 5, S Diao 5 (sub: D Pugh, 64 6), R Delap 4 – J Beattie 5 – R Fuller 6 (sub: R Cresswell, 69 5). Substitutes not used: S Olofinjana, S Kelly, M Tonge, I Sonko.

Referee M Atkinson Attendance 60,082

Player of the season

Arsenal Cesc Fàbregas

The North London side lost their spark amid a string of goalless draws when the league’s best passer was absent injured in mid-season.

Stoke City Abdoulaye Faye

Having been Newcastle’s best defender – and therefore sold by that potty club – he proceeded to inspire Stoke’s marvellous resistance.