Dutch master Dennis Bergkamp staked his claim for one final contract as the Gunners demolished Everton 7-0 at Highbury in London on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old former Netherlands striker is eager for a further season with Arsenal and his sublime hand in scoring one and creating three Gunners goals may be enough to convince boss Arsene Wenger he deserves an extended spell.
The imperious victory, played out to chants of ”One more year” for Bergkamp, ensures the Gunners head into their final English Premiership game and the FA Cup final against Manchester United in top form.
Netherlands forward Robin van Persie scored eight minutes in, and French international winger Robert Pires headed in three minutes later.
Captain Patrick Vieira chipped a third on 37 minutes before Pires struck his 14th Premiership goal with 50 minutes gone.
In his final appearance at Highbury, Brazilian Edu scored a 69th-minute penalty, Bergkamp struck himself on 77 minutes and substitute Mathieu Flamini made it seven after 85 minutes.
”He’s shown again his class. I can understand why he is highly loved here,” Wenger said of Bergkamp.
”I feel it’s a symbol of our season. We were always scoring goals; now we’ve 86 goals, that is tremendous. Tonight’s game showed we have improved our defence because we conceded too many goals, and the last few months we haven’t conceded so many and that is the difference.
”It was a great performance because there was always something sharp going on and some fantastic touches on the pitch,” he added.
Everton boss David Moyes was so distraught with his team’s showing that he simply said: ”I’m embarrassed by tonight’s performance. It’s been a great week for Everton Football Club. No criticism of the players, but tonight, as a manager, I’m totally embarrassed with what happened. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
Arsenal are guaranteed to finish second in the Premiership, which earns a Champions League group stage spot next season, while Everton will finish fourth, enough for a qualifying-round place.
But on this humiliating showing, the Toffees are woefully short of the standard required at Champions League level.
England centre-half Sol Campbell returned to the Arsenal side and France striker Thierry Henry, out since April 9 with a groin problem, came off the bench for the second half.
Both will be keen to prove their fitness ahead of the May 21 FA Cup final in Cardiff.
A back injury forced Everton’s Australia midfielder Tim Cahill to miss out. Arsenal wasted no time in picking the visitors apart.
Bergkamp advanced but delayed his pass until his countryman Van Persie charged into the box, a perfectly weighted through-ball allowing him to side-foot a shot past Everton’s former Arsenal goalkeeper Richard Wright.
Bergkamp took a further three minutes to play the through-ball that set up the second.
Jose Antonio Reyes ran to the goal-line with Bergkamp’s pass before pulling the ball back for Pires.
Wright blocked the shot from the edge of the penalty area, but Pires reacted first to the rebound, directing a header against the bar that dropped into the goal mouth.
The Gunners then dominated possession, Everton suffering long spells of slick Arsenal passing.
Bergkamp made it three telling passes, playing the ball into Vieira’s stride as he broke into the box and chipped over the sorry Wright.
The Everton stopper, second choice behind Nigel Martyn, proved his worth three minutes before the break, beating away a Van Persie free kick, then Reyes’s follow-up.
Wenger threw on Henry and Flamini for Vieira and Van Persie for the second half, while awful Everton replaced James Beattie with Marcus Bent to no effect.
Arsenal increased the pace as Pires pounced to make it 4-0 five minutes after the interval.
A Henry pass on the edge of the penalty box, heading away from goal, ricocheted off Lee Carsley and bounced perfectly for Pires to break into the area and tap in from 10 yards.
Carsley was Henry’s luckless victim once again when a chipped cross hit the midfielder’s upper arm.
Edu was urged forward to take the spot kick, and scored with Wright getting a hand to the effort as he dived left.
Bergkamp increased the Everton’s embarrassment with Arsenal’s sixth, controlling a high ball on his thigh in the penalty box before passing the ball beyond Wright.
Flamini tapped in a Reyes cross from five yards to complete Arsenal’s biggest win under Wenger in his nine-year reign before the Gunners performed a well-earned lap of honour.
However, despite this glittering league win, the FA Cup final remains Arsenal’s only chance to earn some meaningful silverware for their efforts this season. — Sapa-AFP