Derby destroyed by Arsenal's six-shooters at Pride Park

So complete was the second-half domination of Arsene Wenger's side that the only surprise was the final scoreline bore an air of respectability rather than humiliation.

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While Derby have collected one unwanted Barclays Premier League record for the longest winless streak in the competition's history — 30 games following this defeat — Paul Jewell's side are still fighting to avoid assembling a collection of others.

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Their paltry points total of 11 is still four shy of Sunderland's record low for a Premier League season.

But hope springs eternal in this part of the east Midlands. Derby have already sold 20,000 season tickets for the Championship campaign which will open in August. A determination to look on the bright side offers a perspective that few sets of supporters can match.

So it was that, when Emanuel Villa mistimed his connection with an early Tyrone Mears cross and skewed the ball yards wide, the home fans were up off their seats. Moments later, Mile Sterjovski's shot deflected off Alex Song's hip, only to spin a foot wide of the post.

When Villa rose to power a header goalwards from another Mears cross, the Derby faithful were in danger of enjoying themselves for an evening.

Naturally, they knew the feeling could not last. What they might not have guessed was that Arsenal's opening goal would arrive courtesy of a calamitous mistake from Darren Moore, who, in trying to find fellow defender Alan Stubbs after 25 minutes, succeeded only in presenting the ball to Nicklas Bendtner.

A swift one-two with Robin Van Persie and a precise low finish by the Dane and Derby, for all their encouraging play, were behind again.

To respond so swiftly is testament to the growing spirit that has been instilled by Jewell. Four heads converged on Robbie Savage's 31st-minute free-kick. The ball bounced off that of Jay McEveley and dropped down for the defender to poke it beyond goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski for the equaliser.

The caveat to a Derby display of pride is that they were facing an Arsenal side for whom the season cannot end quickly enough. With no prospect of a trophy and Champions League football secured, the urgency has left Arsene Wenger's side.

Even so, they possess a quality that Derby cannot match, as a points difference of 66 indicates.

Six minutes before half-time, a searching Kolo Toure pass was cushioned beautifully on the chest by Van Persie, who stroked a half-volley past Roy Carroll to re-establish Arsenal's lead.

The extra spark was in evidence again after the interval. Three times Arsenal cut swathes through a cumbersome Derby defence, most poetically when Toure and Cesc Fabregas linked up with bewildering movement and pace — only for the ball to fizz over the bar on each occasion.

Carroll spread himself to deny Emmanuel Adebayor, but the third goal arrived after 59 minutes. Denilson released Theo Walcott, who tiptoed his way around a stumbling Stubbs before laying the ball into the path of Emmanuel Eboue. His stumble simply sent the ball towards Adebayor to score.

Substitute Rob Earnshaw delayed the inevitable with a calm side-foot finish 13 minutes from time to lure Derby into false hope of an unlikely draw.

Those hopes were dashed inside a minute as Walcott cut in from the left and curled his shot home with an assurance that promises much for next season.

Then Adebayor made it three goals in four minutes by sliding home Gael Clichy's measured low cross. Adebayor rounded Carroll to complete his hat-trick in added time.

DERBY (4-4-2): Carroll 6; Todd 5, Moore 6, Stubbs 5, McEveley 7; Mears 7, Savage 7, Ghaly 5 (Feilhaber 60min, 5), Lewis 5; Villa 7, Sterjovski 6 (Earnshaw 68, 7).

ARSENAL (4-4-2): Fabianski 6; Toure 7 (Djourou 78), Gallas 6, Song 6, Clichy 7; Eboue 6, Denilson 6 (Gilberto 64, 6), Fabregas 7, Walcott 8; Bendtner 8, Van Persie 7 (Adebayor 46, 8).

Man of the match: Emmanuel Adebayor.

Referee: Andre Marriner.