Arsenal's away form has been more than a touch patchy this season but they like their home comforts, winning every game at The Emirates before Chelsea arrived this afternoon.

But now it's time for some home truths.

Chelsea's victory has cut the so-called Big Four down to size.

OK, there's no doubt that Arsenal and Liverpool are still in the elite group of England's best clubs.

But on the pitch it is another story. Chelsea and Manchester United now make up the Big Two.

I was at the Emirates this afternoon and I was there when Chelsea won 4-1 towards the end of last season. It was like watching the same film back-to-back.

It cannot be a coincidence that the Blues have managed to wrack up a three-goal victory on both occasions.

This was worse though because on that first occasion Arsenal's centre-half pairing consisted of Mikael Silvestre and Johan Djourou.

The truth is, Arsenal cannot defend as a team; something that Chelsea taught Arsenal a very harsh lesson in—not that I expect the Gunners to learn anything from it.

It is no exaggeration to say that every Arsenal player was second best on the pitch today. This is not an intended criticism of any of their attitudes, because they all gave everything to the cause.

But at the level they aspire to, some are simply not good enough.

Andrei Arshavin and Cesc Fabregas really struggled to get into the game today but, quite simply, they could do with a little help.

Denilson was anonymous in the second half and there is too much tip-toeing around in the final third from the likes of Eduardo, Samir Nasri, and Theo Walcott. Arsenal played into Chelsea's hands; every time an Arsenal player ventured vaguely towards the Chelsea third, they were made to turn back, slow the play down and pass backwards.

A watched pot never boils and that's what it was like watching Arsenal trying to score today.

At the other end, Chelsea didn't exactly have to pull up any trees to score. Arshavin was caught ball watching for the first, allowing Cole the space to escape on the left.

Drogba was allowed to amble in unchallenged to score; he was hardly made to work to reach the ball, as Robin Van Persie had done for his first against Spurs earlier this season. Thomas Vermaelen's own goal was almost the doppelganger of the first.

After that, a contagious panic spread throughout the Arsenal team every time Chelsea broke forward.

The two sides are streets apart. How lucky Carlo Ancellotti must feel. He is like a step father inheriting a good family.

Arsenal are a good side and monopolise possession well in the middle third of the pitch. However they rarely manage to deliver a counterattack in the true essence of the word.

There is a distinct lack of variety in the type of players Arsene Wenger has at his disposal. Bringing Thomas Rosicky on for Nasri hardly changes the dynamic of the game.

Under the spell of Arsenal possession, the ball glides about the turf from side to side. But there was no weapon to hurt Chelsea where it counted.

Manuel Almunia was also at fault for the third goal, but goalkeepers have a propensity for trying to guess where the ball is going to go and most of them come similarly unstuck.

At the very top level, a team that wants to win trophies needs to be able to defend. Protection, patience, panache; that's what Chelsea have right now. They even pass and move better than Arsenal at times, certainly more effectively anyway.

It's a two horse race now. Arsenal, once again, could not even keep up until half-time, let alone beyond November.