After a glorious night at Ashburton Grove on Wednesday when Arsenal coasted to victory over Villareal and booked their place in the semi-final of the Champions League, it was back down to earth with a very big bump yesterday at Wembley as Chelsea overturned a one-goal deficit and dumped the Gunners out of the FA Cup. Defeats in semi-finals are always the hardest to take and it was a desperately disappointing outcome.

Many supporters arriving at Wembley yesterday were surprised to hear the team Arsene Wenger had picked. Though playing five in midfield has now become an accustomed formation when facing Chelsea, the absence of both Nasri and Arshavin was somewhat perplexing, particularly when the latter is cup-tied in the Champions League. Still, Wenger’s selection appeared to be justified when the team made a very positive start and took the lead through Theo Walcott.

Unfortunately, rather than break Chelsea’s spirit, the goal only served to wake them up. Their equaliser just before half-time was largely attributable to weak Arsenal defending though. A long ball was hit forward to Florent Malouda on the edge of the area. Emmanuel Eboue was slow to react and close him down. When he finally did so, he showed Malouda inside rather than forcing him wide and the Frenchman fired a fierce shot that beat Fabianski at his near post – something which is considered a cardinal sin for goalkeepers.

From then Chelsea got stronger and stronger and the Gunners struggled to impose themselves on the game. Arsenal’s only potent striking threat was posed by Theo Walcott. Elsewhere, Robin Van Persie was anonymous stuck out on the left and Abou Diaby seemed more intent on giving the ball away than getting himself into the sort of advanced positions where he can be a danger. Most irritating though was the performance of Emmanuel Adebayor. Playing as a lone striker, his level of effort was shameful. Rather working to create space and make runs as an outlet for the midfield players, he sauntered around for most of the afternoon waiting for the game to come to him. His contribution was negligible and his substitution came way too late.

The absence of Manuel Almunia, William Gallas, Johan Djourou, Bacery Sagna and Gael Clichy in defence was a huge concern before the game and, with a second defensive shambles presenting Chelsea with their winner, we can only wonder what might have been had injury not struck down so many key players in the Arsenal backline. With only a few minutes remaining on the clock a hopeful Chelsea punt forward saw Didier Drogba shrug off Mikael Silvestre all too easily. Then, crazily, Fabianski came rushing out of his area in a vain attempt to close down the Ivorian but only served to make his task simpler as Drogba nudged the ball past him and slotted it into the empty net. Three times in the past two matches Fabianski has rushed out of his area in this fashion to try to clear balls that he has no right to claim. The young Pole might show signs of being a half-decent shot stopper but he still has a lot to learn about composure.

With the strains of Chelsea’s Cup Final song ringing in their ears, the Arsenal fans trudged away with their chins on the floor at the end of the game. Many believed that the FA Cup was the best chance of silverware this season but those dreams were shattered by a strange team selection, an under-par performance and two moments of terrible defending. It was all a very far cry from the joyous scenes at Ashburton Grove on Wednesday night – and now the Champions League is the last avenue to winning a trophy open to the Gunners.

Any nerves that Arsenal were going to fluff their lines against Villareal were soon settled by Theo Walcott’s first-half goal. From there, the Gunners never looked in any real danger of losing the tie. The second goal provided by Adebayor broke the Spaniards spirit and Robin Van Persie’s penalty put the outcome beyond any doubt. All that remained for the crowd was to celebrate the victory and give Robert Pires a rapturous reception on his return to North London.

Manchester United now await Arsene Wenger’s men in the semi-final and it looks like it is going to be a titanic clash. United might will be favourites on form, but they have struggled against Arsenal at Ashburton Grove in recent years, so it is essential that the Gunners come away from the first leg at Old Trafford with the tie still very much alive.

Before then it is back to Premier League business. With no time to lick their wounds after Saturday’s disappointment at Wembley, the team travel to Anfield on Tuesday night to face Liverpool whose recent league form has been imperious. Hopefully, some of the absentees from Arsenal’s depleted defence will be back in contention and with doubts over the fitness of Steven Gerrard for the Reds, it is a game that the Gunners have to face positively. Though a healthy cushion exists between fourth place and Aston Villa in fifth, there are still plenty of points to play for and the job of qualifying for next year’s Champions League is by no means complete.

As deflating as the defeat to Chelsea was this Arsenal team now has to show its mettle and pick itself up for the Liverpool game. Important matches come thick and fast at this time of the year but if this set of players are as good as Arsene Wenger maintains then this test of physical endurance, mental strength and the will to win is one they better get used to facing.