LAST week, Jose Mourinho accused Arsene Wenger of being like a man who used a "telescope" to "spy on his neighbours".

On Saturday, it was Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy who needed something to enhance his vision. When it came to the respective quality of the two sides playing at Highbury, Arsenal were out of sight.

A two-goal margin hardly represents a rout, and defeat to the Gunners is hardly as calamitous as last weekend's second-half implosion against relegation rivals Portsmouth.

But it was the manner, rather than the magnitude of the defeat, that will most worry McCarthy.

Perhaps it was no surprise that Arsenal didn't have to find top gear - better sides than Sunderland have been put to the sword at Highbury.

That the Gunners were able to spend most of the game cruising in neutral, though, was far less forgivable. If the Black Cats lose their bite, they might as well kiss goodbye to their Premiership status as well.

"Up until now, we've been involved in all of the games we've played and had a chance of getting something out of them," said a frank McCarthy. "I've not had to try to put a positive spin on things, because the performances have done that for me.

"That's not been the case in the last couple of games. If I'm honest, they've been disappointing. That's certainly the case for the last 45 minutes against Portsmouth and the game against Arsenal.

"I'm demanding a bit of a reaction now. We've got a couple of weeks to work on things because of the international break and, after that, we've got three massive home games against Aston Villa, Birmingham and Liverpool. Winning the first two of those would give us a bit of a chance."

At least McCarthy will have something akin to his first team when Villa visit the Stadium of Light in 12 days time.

With Julio Arca and Christian Bassila injured, and Stephen Elliott and Tommy Miller only fit enough to take a place on the bench, Sunderland had a patched-up look as they made their final league visit to Highbury.

By the final whistle, those patches had largely unravelled with the imperious Thierry Henry and the industrious Robin Van Persie carving their way through the Black Cats defence at will.

Daryl Murphy showed signs of promise as he made his first senior start on the left of midfield, while Danny Collins toiled manfully behind him in an effort to shackle the lively Robert Pires.

But it was difficult to make a realistic comparison of the two. Pires is a World Cup winner, Collins was a £140,000 signing from Chester making his first Premiership appearance of the season. On FA Cup first-round day, it was hard to imagine a collision of two more different footballing worlds.

"It doesn't help when you can't put out your strongest team," said McCarthy. "I would have liked to have come here with a stronger side.

"But that's what we have and that's what we have to get on with. We have to make a better fist of it than we did out there."

As McCarthy knows only too well, excuses are only partial. Wigan and West Ham accompanied the Black Cats into the Premiership with similar squads and similar resources. They do not look as out of their depth as Sunderland seemed to be on Saturday.

Brushing their opponents aside with a contemptuous ease, Arsenal's players toyed with a Sunderland side that offered no attacking threat and no aggression.

Tellingly, there was also no Kelvin Davis between the sticks. While his players never looked like harming their opponents, McCarthy proved he possesses a ruthless streak.

"It was a difficult decision and, me being me, I nearly didn't make it," said the Black Cats boss. "If anybody thinks I was bowing to people booing Kelvin Davis, they're wrong.

"I think Kelvin needed it, and maybe Ben Alnwick needed it as well. We conceded three goals here, but I wouldn't put any of those down to Ben."

Instead, all three of Arsenal's goals were down to deficiencies in the visitors' defence. The Gunners might have earned a reputation for cutting sides to ribbons with their intricate close passing, but it was a routine long ball that first saw Sunderland unravel. No matter how well McCarthy's men play in the future, their efforts will count for nothing if basic defensive mistakes continue to be made.

Alan Stubbs and Steve Caldwell were caught napping when Sol Campbell played a 12th-minute ball over the top, and Van Persie galloped clear before driving past Alnwick at his near post. Arsenal's second was similarly routine - Henry sliding in at the far post to convert Lauren's right-wing cross.

That should have been the start of an onslaught, but, instead of driving home their superiority, Arsenal spent the second half drifting between inventive genius and inertia.

Van Persie scuffed an audacious chip shot and Henry hit the post with an overhead kick that combined breathtaking ability with barely-disguised arrogance.

Sunderland pulled a goal back when Caldwell outjumped Campbell and Stubbs stabbed home from close range, but that merely stung their opponents into action.

The final word, inevitably, went to Henry. The Frenchman raced onto Cesc Fabregas' through ball, dumped Caldwell onto his backside, and casually slotted past Alnwick. Like the rest of the game, it was rather too easy.

Arsenal 3 - 1 Sunderland

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