It's Bergkamp the timelord

Bergkamp, signed by Bruce Rioch from Inter Milan for £7.5million nearly 10 years ago, was one of the first big-name foreigners to play for Arsenal. It's ironic that with the football authorities now trying to limit the numbers of foreigners, no British players were in Wenger's 16-man squad last night.

"I don't look at the passports," he said. "I just look at the quality."

Watching England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson's interest must have centred on Palace striker Andy Johnson, who scored a consolation penalty as Arsenal's attacking masterclass unfolded.

Palace, now ominously adrift with three others at the bottom of the Premiership, had shown such early promise.

Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann made a superb full stretch save from Johnson in the opening moments of the game and then had to race back to his goal to desperately clear having embarrassingly missed the ball when trying to trap the ball near his six-yard line.

Palace manager Iain Dowie said: "For the first 30 minutes we were very much in it. The encouraging thing is that we were at least creating chances."

But so were Arsenal. The difference was to be found in the way the defending champions capitalised on their scoring opportunities.

Bergkamp was the first to strike, in the 32nd minute, crisply sidefooting home a cross from Reyes. Three minutes later the little Spaniard found the net himself.

The victim of a radio hoax the other day, there was nothing in the way he played to suggest that he was unhappy at Highbury.

He was involved in much of Arsenal's best approach work and his goal - a thudding left-foot drive into the far corner of the net - was his first in the Premiership for four months.

When Henry scored his first, four minutes later, the match was as good as over. In the space of seven minutes the quality of Arsenal's football had reduced Palace's game plan to debris.

Although Johnson chased every lost cause as a lone front runner, Palace simply could not sustain any pressure on the Arsenal defence.

In the 54th minute, Bergkamp and Henry combined to send Vieira into the penalty area. A drop of the shoulder confused goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly and the Arsenal captain walked the ball into the empty net.

Johnson's penalty, awarded after the new England cap was brought down by Vieira, briefly lifted Palace spirits but after Robert Pires has struck a post, Henry, playing his 200th Premiership game, scored his second, driving Bergkamp's pass beyond the dive of Kiraly.

Wenger added: "Palace surprised us in the first 15 minutes but after that we were always in control. It was a good team performance and important that we got the Manchester United defeat out of our system. We've got our confidence back. Winning matches does that for you."

With eight goals scored in successive wins over Aston Villa and Palace, Wenger will be hoping to take that form into this weekend's FA Cup clash with Sheffield United and next week's Champions League visit to Bayern where, sadly, the non-f lying Dutchman will be missing.