Ashley Cole has insisted Chelsea's 4-1 thrashing of Arsenal proved to the whole of Europe that the club are not the enemy of football.

Chelsea bounced back from their controversial Champions League semi-final exit against Barcelona to hand Arsenal their heaviest home defeat for 32 years and secure a top-three finish in the Premier League.

The club are expected to be charged by UEFA this week for failing to control their players during and after the game against Barcelona, while Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack and Jose Bosingwa are facing charges over their treatment of referee Tom Henning Ovrebo.

Chelsea have been pilloried since last Wednesday's game, but Cole believes yesterday's win over Arsenal, where all three players featured, showed the club at their best.

The former Gunner said: “We know there are a lot of strong emotions in football and sometimes when you haven't kicked a ball you can't talk about those emotions and you don't understand.

“Against Arsenal we showed how good we are. We didn't get in too many battles or too many fights this time. The lads have done well. A lot of people would have thought we'd all be down and out, but we showed a lot of character. At times we defended really well and now we've clinched third spot.”

Cole said the “mood was down” during training on Thursday and Friday and added: “Everyone's disappointed when you lose in the semi-final of the Champions League. It's life and there is nothing we can do about it. The players here have got great character. I have played with a lot of big players, but at Chelsea they seem to be able to motivate themselves very quickly. It showed against Arsenal and it had to show.”

However, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger thought differently and accused under-fire Drogba of diving to win the free-kick which led to the opening goal.

He said: “We live in a league now where the divers are rewarded. It is not right, but it is like that.

“I don't think the free-kick should have been given, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't win the header after that. The referee will make some decisions for you or against you, but we should still have cleared the ball from the cross.”

Meanwhile, Cole admits he had Arsenal fans to thank for helping him recover from the crushing disappointment against Barcelona.

The England international has suffered constant abuse since he left the club for Chelsea in 2006 and was delighted to silence the boo-boys at Emirates Stadium yesterday.

Asked if he found it hard to play so soon after the Barcelona match, he said: “It was easy for me but I have different reasons for that. Coming back to my old club, I hate losing to Arsenal so it means I'm more motivated.”

Referring to the abuse from fans, he said: “It is always there — I don't blame them. I just want to play my game and win for Chelsea.”