Guus Hiddink expressed delight after cementing Chelsea's third place in the league with an emphatic 4-1 thumping of Arsenal today.

Our joint biggest league win away to the Gunners came courtesy of an impressive Chelsea performance, as the Blues rallied following midweek disappointment against Barcelona, something that made Hiddink glow with pride.

'We are very delighted. I am delighted and the team is delighted with the performance for several reasons.

'But first we have to be critical to ourselves and say where I'd like to improve. We started the first 20 minutes with a hangover from Wednesday and allowed Arsenal to play their beautiful game.

'The reaction of the team was great and we came through with a beautiful goal from Alex and we could have had more through Anelka and Malouda, but 2-0 at the break was good.

'The second half was the same, we went on with the same dominance and control and we went on to score more.

'I can be very proud of the team after the injustice of not being in the Champions League Final and having this reaction against Arsenal.

'It is a long time ago that Chelsea made this big victory against Arsenal, so overall I am very proud of the boys with how they reacted, technically and mentally.'

When questioned over his decision to play Didier Drogba after his reaction to Wednesday's result, Hiddink was keen to express the Ivorian's displeasure was not with his own side, as that would have been the only factor preventing him from starting.

'The issue is whether his conduct and behaviour was against the team, which he has never done.

'So I talked to him slightly about how to play today, not just tactically but also because everyone was looking back over the game against Barcelona.

'We said everyone is focussed on you so play the simple game, if you play the simple game then you'll have your full efficiency for the team.'

With third place in the bag, Hiddink refuses to give up on a possible second-place finish.

He also insisted that no matter what his team accomplish between now and the end of the season, they will still be fully prepared for the upcoming FA Cup Final.

'Of course we'll try to go for second place. What I like about this team, they are well paid players, they have their luxury, but they have motivation.

'It is not a big challenge for me to keep them fit until the end of May, they like to train, they like to practice. This is basic and I am very keen on this.

'It gives me and everyone inside a great satisfaction, especially considering the situation in February.

'At the time the team was struggling for fourth or fifth place, but from there on the team reacted wonderfully in the league and the Champions League, even when we played Liverpool and Barcelona, when we gave nearly nothing to our opponents, which is already a big achievement.'

Hiddink also believes he knows why Chelsea were able to change their fortunes in such a short space of time.

'They are real men who like to go and get in charge. One of the issues when you have big players is that you must discover if they have the will and the quality to work for each other, which is very important.

'They must help each other out, it is not just about nice work and nice goals, it is about the qualities your team has.

'Today we showed that Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs playing in Europe.'

One man who had no doubt about Chelsea's excellence was Arsene Wenger: 'The first freekick we made a mistake and then went 1-0 down, we missed clear cut chances and every mistake we made we were punished because we played against a team with quality,' said the Arsenal manager.