Arsenal scored four times in a rampant second-half display to secure a statement 4-1 win over Premier League title rivals Aston Villa at the Emirates.
After a goalless first half, the home side were ahead inside three minutes of the second period when Emiliano Martinez flapped at Bukayo Saka’s corner and the ball rolled in off Gabriel’s thigh.
Arsenal doubled their advantage on 52 minutes after Martin Zubimendi converted Martin Odegaard’s exquisite defence-splitting pass, with Leandro Trossard scoring from long range after 69 minutes to put the game firmly out of Villa’s reach.
Gabriel Jesus then netted his first goal since New Year’s Day just moments after coming on as a substitute. Ollie Watkins scored a consolation for the visitors in injury time.
The impressive victory was the perfect tonic for Mikel Arteta’s players against a team that dealt them a stoppage-time 2-1 defeat at Villa Park just 24 days ago.
It also brought to an end Villa’s club-equalling 11-match winning streak, and quite possibly their ambitions of making it a three-way fight for the title.
Arsenal, who were without the injured Declan Rice for the first time in the league this season, now move five points clear of Manchester City. Villa are six points off the championship pace.
After scraping past Wolves, Everton and Brighton in their previous three fixtures, Arsenal were far from their fluent best in a first half where the weight of expectation of ending a 22-year wait for a title appeared to be hanging over them.
But they came alive after the break with a performance which will serve as a warning to City ahead of their match against Sunderland on Thursday.
And their opener, as it so often does, arrived from a set-piece. Martinez was in a world of bother as he pondered whether to catch or punch Saka’s inswinger, and in the end he did neither. Under pressure from Gabriel, Martinez could not gather the ball and it ended up in his net off the Arsenal defender’s left thigh.
A VAR check followed to see if Martinez had been fouled by Gabriel but the goal stood, and just four minutes later, the home side were celebrating a second.
This one was all about Odegaard who won possession inside the Villa half and was afforded time to play a deft left-footed pass into Zubimendi’s path, with the Spaniard poking the ball past an on-rushing Martinez.
Jurrien Timber fired high from a corner before Odegaard, enjoying a fine game as Arsenal’s conductor, also blazed over. The captain came close to adding a third for his side but Martinez diverted his long-range shot for a corner.
However, the Argentine could do nothing with Trossard’s effort a handful of minutes later. Odegaard found Saka at the back post before Lucas Digne dithered which allowed Timber to pounce.
The ball fell to Trossard before he fired low and hard and into the bottom corner and Arsenal were in dreamland. Another VAR probe ensued to see if Saka was offside in the build-up. He was not and the goal stood.
The Arsenal fans might have thought their evening could not get any better only to see Jesus, who replaced the goal-shy Viktor Gyokeres, score with his first touches of the ball.
Odegaard was involved again, hooking the ball over the top to Zubimendi, who found Trossard, and then Jesus who took one touch to open his body before angling a curling shot past Martinez with 12 minutes to go.
Watkins continued his impressive personal run against Arsenal with his seventh strike across 13 games, but it was the only sour note of a stunning evening for Arteta’s title-chasing men.
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