Gunners guarantee top-four finish

Nicklas Bendtner scored a brace as Arsenal guaranteed UEFA Champions League football next season with a 3-0 win over Portsmouth on Saturday. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger opted to rest his key men ahead of the crucial Champions League semi-final second-leg against Manchester United and it proved a wise decision as Adrey Arshavin inspired the comfortable win. Arshavin, who is ineligible to play in Tuesday's crutch clash, was made captain for the trip to Fratton Park and he was at his influential best - first teeing up Bendtner for the first goal and then winning a penalty to allow his Danish strike-partner to add a second. Pompey, who had Noe Pamarot sent-off in the second-half, squirmed several excellent opportunities and were finally put to the sword when Carlos Vela added a third thanks to more good work by the stand-in Russian skipper.