Walcott signals new beginning - but no end in sight to Reading slide

Arsenal fans were able to lap up a performance of pace and directness from Theo Walcott which terrified a defence who conceded seven goals at Portsmouth and another six across north London at Tottenham.

Thumbs up: Gilberto Silva grabbed a second goal via Bikey's heavy deflection

They welcomed a player who has finally stepped to the forefront of Arsene Wenger's planning and were still able to embrace an outgoing hero — or should that be anti-hero? — in goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, for whom this was almost certainly a final start at the Emirates.

A calm finish from Emmanuel Adebayor and a deflected Gilberto shot were gleefully acclaimed, while Robin van Persie's stunning freekick which struck bar and post, as well as Walcott's curler, which also cannoned off the woodwork 60 seconds later, were greeted with smiles of disbelief on and off the pitch.

None of it mattered, you see. For those wearing blue and white, on the other hand, it was an early Saturday afternoon of deadly seriousness. Ninety minutes of Reading ineptitude were followed by an anxious drive back to Berkshire waiting on goal flashes from elsewhere.

When Bolton took the lead at Middlesbrough, the Reading fans were nearly home. By the final whistle, they had shut their front doors to the world, hoping that the next time they opened them, the Premier League table would look rather more positive for their club.

Fortunately it does this morning, if only because of Birmingham's defeat in yesterday's derby. Yet Reading are still perched just a point above the relegation trap-door and even manager Steve Coppell's commendable candour in admitting liability for the lack of available talent at the Madejski in the nervous days to come soothed none of the fears.

When asked if funds should have been spent on players in January's transfer window, Coppell said: "It's my fault. There was money available, but I made a choice to challenge the same players again who got us 106 points as Championship champions two seasons ago and who finished eighth last season.

At Christmas we were in a healthy position going into January. "Maybe I should have done something at the end of the window. We always have a post-mortem at the end of a season. I'm sure whatever lessons can be learned will be."

Any retrospective justice for Reading captain Graeme Murty following the blatant slap on him by Alexander Hleb will be met with a dismissive shrug by Coppell, whose trust in the FA disciplinary procedures is less than implicit. He said: "The whole process is unexplainable. It's arbitrary, so maybe somebody in a front room somewhere will do something about it."

Hleb is likely to be called to account. If his case is dealt with speedily by the FA, the Belarus midfielder will not protest if any ban covers the games in Arsenal's meaningless end-of-season.

For Walcott, however, the final three games represent a chance to impress on Wenger that next season could be his year. The 19- year-old's telepathy with his more established team-mates is still fitfu. As he becomes increasingly attuned to the promptings of Cesc Fabregas, his ability to take the ball in his stride will mean defenders will be forced into the dilemma of marking him tightly and watching him speed by or standing back and seeing him exploit the space.

Wenger said: "It was Theo's most complete game for us. I would say it was his most mature display and next season began today for him.

"When he came to me in October to ask what he needed to do to be in the team, I told him he needed to be more aggressive. Now he looks for physical contact and you can see he has made a step forward."

Wenger and Arsenal smart at the loss of a promising season.