Arsenal's passing interest in the English League Cup was brought to an embarrassing end at Highbury last night with a five-goal drubbing at the hands of their London rivals Chelsea, their worst defeat for five years.

First Frank Leboeuf scored with a penalty, then Gianluca Vialli accepted a gift of a goal from an Arsenal defence which, like the team in general, was made up of reserves. Any lingering doubt about the outcome vanished in the 65th minute when Tore Andre Flo set up a third Chelsea goal for Gustavo Poyet.

Then came the icing on the cake: in the 74th minute Poyet supplied the pass that gave Vialli his second with a shot into the far corner from the right-hand side of the penalty area; and in the 80th minute a Dan Petrescu pass gave Poyet his second goal when he forced the ball past Dmitri Kharine.

This tie brought together two of a kind. In the previous round Arsenal's Irregulars had won at Derby, while Chelsea's Occasionals had inflicted a first defeat on a below-strength Aston Villa side.

At least the holders were easier to recognise, having included Kharine, Petrescu, Leboeuf, Michael Duberry and Vialli. Apart from Dennis Bergkamp, needing match practice after a back injury, Arsenal fielded almost a Second XI, eight of whom had beaten Chelsea 3-2 in September in the Combination.

Much depended on the outcome of an intriguing tussle between Arsenal's Matthew Upson and Flo, who towered above the England under-21 centre-back but found him hard to shake off when the ball was on the ground.

When Chelsea were not forcing corners they were falling offside. Arsenal, more inclined to pass their way through the opposing defence than lob the ball over it, created the clearer chances during the opening half-hour.

The best of these came in the 27th minute when Fredrik Ljungberg turned away from Roberto Di Matteo some 35 yards from goal and then slipped through the Chelsea defence at an astutely judged angle before beating Kharine with a low shot aimed inside the far post. Unfortunately for Arsenal the ball rolled wide with Wreh arriving just too late.

But it was Chelsea who went ahead 10 minutes before half-time after a penalty decision by David Elleray which caused not so much controversy as confusion. In fact Elleray got everything right. Vialli's nod of the head had sent Poyet clear from the halfway line with Grimandi in pursuit. As the Uruguayan moved into the area and prepared to shoot, Grimandi's lunge from behind, though possibly aiming for the ball, took Poyet's legs away.

The ball then ran loose to Vialli, whose shot was blocked by Nelson Vivas, whereupon the referee, having initially allowed Chelsea the advantage, gave the penalty from which Leboeuf scored.

Arsenal (4-4-2): Manninger; Vivas, Grimandi, Upson, Grondin; Ljungberg, Garde, Hughes, Boa Morte; Bergkamp, Wreh.

Chelsea (4-4-2): Kharine; Petrescu, Duberry, Leboeuf, Babayaro; Goldbaek, Di Matteo, Poyet, Nicholls; Vialli, Flo.

Referee: D Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill).