Wenger: Lavish praise (AlexLivesey/Allsport)

Two goals from Kanu and other strikes by Kolo Toure and Thierry Henry left Leeds chasing shadows as the Londoners extended their lead at the top of the Premiership.

And Wenger hailed his team's efforts as one of the finest performances during his time in charge at Highbury.

He said: 'We were outstanding today. We decided to start quickly and scored the early goal. In the first 30 minutes we were absolutely outstanding - we always looked dangerous going forward with the ball.

'This is one of the best performances since I have been at the club - one of the top, top, top performances. The team is always looking better, and they are full of confidence and belief.

'The players want to go and win every game and their attitude is spot-on. I would pick the team as man of the match today.'

But Elland Road counterpart Terry Venables criticised his side, who have now won four and lost four of their Premiership games so far.

He explained: 'We held on to the ball too long and played into their hands, and if you give them space they will really hurt you.

'We have to shift the ball a lot quicker - every time we had a touch they were there early on stealing the ball off us. The warning signs were there, but before we did something about it it was too late.

'It's a huge call to predict Arsenal to end the Premiership season unbeaten, but when you see them playing it's possible.'