Our target is to finish second in the league - Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger has challenged his Arsenal side to finish the season unbeaten and secure second place in the Premier League after the Gunners cruised to a 3-1 win at Hull City on Monday, their 10th straight match unbeaten all but securing a top-four finish for the 18th successive season.

The 65-year-old said finishing second for the first time in a decade was an important target in a campaign that could yet end with holders Arsenal retaining the FA Cup in a Wembley final against Aston Villa later this month.

''For me it makes a difference. We want to finish as high as we can. That’s a competitive attitude. We've secured only top four. Let’s see if we can maintain the run. We set ourselves a target to continue to make progress as a team and this was a demonstration that we can improve and keep the quality high. We played the football we love to play for long periods in the game. We want to continue to win our games as we’re doing now. I’m not a prophet. Football is unpredictable, no one knows how strong teams will be at the start of the season. What is important is to start strong. We want to finish as high as we can. It’s about giving your maximum until the last day. Not having to think about the Champions League qualifier it is better for the sleep during the summer,'' he said

Alexis Sanchez scored twice and Aaron Ramsey was on target as the Gunners cruised into a 3-0 half-time lead. Stephen Quinn’s header his first goal of the season gave Hull hope but the visitors stayed in control of a match where Arsenal took their goal tally for the season to 100 in all competitions.