Arsenal’s title challenge ended on Saturday afternoon, although only the most optimistic fans had much confidence before the trip to Stamford Bridge that this season would be any different from the last 12.

Arsenal are 12 points behind Chelsea and even in the extremely unlikely circumstances that Chelsea collapse it would be Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester City who benefit.

Every season there comes a moment when Arsenal realise that their priority has to be securing fourth place rather than looking up and they have certainly reached that point now. This Arsenal team will not be turning over any tables this season.

There was absolutely no conviction about Arsenal’s performance at Chelsea. It was telling how, in his very brief post-match comments, Arsene Wenger said that “the defeat against Watford maybe had bigger consequences than expected”. That was their most damaging no-show for years, a shocking defeat, which prompted Wenger to lambast his players for not being mentally ready afterwards. But clearly he feels that the after-effects of that defeat were still with his players on Saturday afternoon.

The challenge now for Wenger is to make sure that that bad feeling is exorcised when Arsenal host a resurgent Hull City on Saturday. Finishing fourth is important and the only shot Arsenal have at anything like success this year is in the cups. They have two very different trips this month, first to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, then to Sutton in the FA Cup.

But the chances of Arsenal winning the Champions League are remote. And even if they win the FA Cup that will not end questions about the direction of the club. Arsenal, of course, won the cup in 2014 and 2015 but those two trophies did not ultimately show that the club was back on its way to the top.

As this season dwindles away, then, Arsenal have to ask themselves why they can still not mount a serious challenge to win the Premier League. They have world class talent, young players, experience, money, everything that a title-chasing side would need. But they are less than a sum of their parts.

Antonio Conte is about to win his fourth league title which is impressive given he has only been coaching for 10 years. Wenger has four league titles himself, the most recent of them in 2004 when Conte was still a player. When asked why Arsenal cannot make a serious push for the title, Conte admitted that he did not know.

Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Thibaut Courtois – 5 out of 10 Aside from letting in a late goal, it was a very straight forward day for the Belgian. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta – 6 out of 10 Tackled well, kept his shape well and worked relentlessly. Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Gary Cahill – 6 out of 10 Led by performance today and even came close to getting his name on the scoresheet. Salvio Calabrese/UK Sports Pics Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings David Luiz – 5 out of 10 Was wasteful with some of his clearances, but due to a lack of Arsenal attacks – he had an easy day at the back. Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Victor Moses – 6 out of 10. The Nigerian powerhouse caused constant problems for the Arsenal defence when he charged forward. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Marcos Alonso – 6 out of 10 Scored the opener which crushed Arsenal’s confident start. Worked well for the remainder. Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings N’Golo Kante – 8 out of 10 He optimises the Chelsea side – bundles of energy, clever play and a faultless work rate. Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Nemanja Matic – 7 out of 10 His partnership with Kante dominated the midfield and left Arsenal looking lost in the middle of the field. Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Pedro – 7 out of 10 The playmaker and the key element to counter attack Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Eden Hazard – 9 out of 10 His solo goal was an example of Hazard’s limitless ability. His running, movement, skill on the ball and positioning were world class. Arsenal FC via Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Diego Costa – A real menace up top and laid on two assists. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Petr Cech – 4 out of 10 Gave Fabregas the last goal due to an individual error and looked helpless for Alonso’s first goal. Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Hector Bellerin – 4 out of 10 Out-jumped for the first goal and was subsequently substituted with an injury. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Laurent Koscielny – 6 out of 10 Relentlessly cleared danger and intercepted Chelsea moves. Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Shkodran Mustafi – 7 out of 10 Made a number of crucial interceptions and tackles to deny Chelsea’s relentless counter attacks. Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Nacho Monreal – 3 out of 10 His poor positioning left his side exposed and allowed the Chelsea strike force to punish the Gunners. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Francis Coquelin – 5 out of 10 Should be able to dictate a game like this but instead he saw very little of the ball and made a number of reckless challenges. Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5 out of 10 Looked lost in his own position and failed to make an impact going forward. Arsenal FC via Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Theo Walcott – 4 out of 10 Showed no sign of attacking prowess and should have tracked Alonso for the opening goal. Arsenal FC via Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Mesut Ozil – 5 out of 10 Deliveries were good, but aside from that it was an extremely quiet display by a man of such ability. Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Alex Iwobi – 5 out of 10 Looked confident in the early stages, but disappeared as the game progressed. Needed to see more of the ball. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings Alexis Sanchez – 5 out of 10 The Chilean received no service from his midfield and saw very little of the ball as a result. This made it an incredibly easy afternoon for the Chelsea defence. Getty Images

“I think Arsenal has all the potential to win the title, honestly,” Conte said. “Because if you look at their squad, you can see a lot of young players but with great quality, physically very strong, and also a good manager. But now, and in future, to win the title in this league will be very tough, very, very tough, for all the teams”

Of course it is very, very tough but every year one team does manage it. Arsenal are not as good as Chelsea, this season, as was made very clear on the pitch on Saturday. But the title was theirs to lose last year, when Leicester won it, or two years before, when Manchester City eventually beat Liverpool and Chelsea over the line.

Arsenal have the players to win the title (Getty) (Getty Images)