New Delhi: Arsenal were already assured of fourth place and participation in the Champions League play-off round next August for a berth in the group stage.
Stoke were already guaranteed 12th place, but could have finished higher by beating Arsenal and in the process completing a creditable double over the Gunners.
But on the day that young Italian goalkeeper Vito Mannone was handed his first-team debut for Arsenal, the Gunners were determined to sign off in style. And they wasted litle time in establishing their authority under the north London sun.
With only ten minutes gone, Mannone having already denied Fuller with a smart save, Cesc Fabregas fizzed the ball along the goalline from a short corner, and James Beattie unwittingly diverted it into his own net.
Six minutes later it was 2-0 to Arsenal when Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross fouled Robin van Persie in the area, and the Dutchman picked himself up to slot home the resultant penalty.
Another two minutes elapsed before the Gunners added a simple third, van Persie swinging a cross into the danger area where Abou Diaby had the straightforward task of heading in his fourth goal of the season.
Goalkeeper Steve Simonsen had been preferred to Thomas Sorensen, who started on the bench, but he had to go off, apparently injured, after 20 minutes, and Sorensen soon produced a good save with his legs to keepout a Theo Walcott effort.
Van Persie rattled the ball against the bar with a free-kick, and when Andrey Arshavin tried to convert the rebound, his effort was tipped away by Sorensen.
On 31 minutes, Arsenal's Brazilian midfielder Denilson brought Ricardo Fuller down inside the area at the other end. Fuller emulated Van Persie by sending his spot-kick past Mannone to give the scoreline a more respectable look.
But ten minutes after Fuller's penalty, Arsenal's three-goal margin was re-established. With the rampant Gunners playing free-flowing football, Stoke certainly didn't need to keep presenting them with gifts. Rory Delap's attempt to head the ball back to Sorensen had far too little distance on it, enabling Van Persie to chest it down before producing a fine volley from 12 yards to beat the keeper.
Kolo Toure might have made it five but his effort hit the post. The Gunners therefore went in 4-1 up, having also hit woodwork a couple of times, and forced a couple of outstanding saves out of Sorensen. Young left-back Kieran Gibbs had also put a header only inches over the bar in a one-sided first half that will not have pleased Stoke manager Tony Pulis.
After five goals in the opening 45 minutes, though, there was no further scoring after the break.
The Gunners were still dominant but couldn't get their fifth goal. An Arshavin cross from the left was headed wide by Van Persie, who then shot wide after a scramble.
Substitute Emmanuel Eboue also shot narrowly wide, and then put in a cross from the right which Diaby headed off-target.
The Arsenal fans demonstrated their support for manager Arsene Wenger by chanting his name persistently throughout this final game of the season.
Arsenal: Mannone, Sagna, Toure, Song Billong, Gibbs, Diaby, Fabregas, Denilson, Arshavin, van Persie, Walcott.
Subs: Szczesny, Vela, Ramsey, Silvestre, Djourou, Bendtner, Eboue.
Stoke: Simonsen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Abdoulaye Faye, Dickinson, Lawrence, Diao, Whelan, Delap, Beattie, Fuller.
Subs: Sorensen, Olofinjana, Cresswell, Pugh, Kelly, Tonge, Sonko..
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