Arsenal stormed back to the top of the Premier League with a fine return to form against beleaguered London rivals Chelsea.
Having not won any of their past four games, the Gunners eased to a 3-1 victory to leapfrog Manchester City for at least the next 24 hours.
Captain Martin Odegaard hit a brace as Gabriel Jesus wrapped up the points before the interval, with Chelsea slipping to a sixth successive defeat under interim boss Frank Lampard.
Recalled Noni Madueke at least hit a rare consolation goal for the Blues, who have now lost six of their past seven meetings with Arsenal.
While it was a night to remember for skipper Odegaard, it was one his predecessor will want to forgot in a hurry, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang starting for Chelsea for the first time since facing Arsenal on November 6 but lasting just 45 minutes before being substituted.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had refused to rule his side out of the title race despite a four-game winless run which culminated in a galling defeat to rivals City last week.
This result takes them back to the summit, two points clear of City but having played two games more and with Pep Guardiola’s men in fine form ahead of their visit of West Ham on Wednesday.
Granit Xhaka had an early chance but his close-range strike was saved by the legs of Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was in for a busy night.
It was a lively start for the hosts, with Bukayo Saka next to test Kepa, the England forward’s header palmed away by the Chelsea goalkeeper.
There was nothing the stopper could do shortly afterwards, however, only getting a glove to a fine Odegaard finish from a Xhaka cross with both players afforded the time and space to put Arsenal into a deserved lead.
The same pair combined again for the second, again with little to no pressure on either player as Odegaard drifted away from Raheem Sterling to net a 14th goal of the season.
Chelsea almost hit back through Ben Chilwell but his England colleague Aaron Ramsdale pushed his shot behind at full stretch.
Lampard reacted to an abject first half by replacing the ineffectual Aubameyang, who had just nine touches on his Emirates return – four of which were kick-offs.
It was Arsenal, though, who continued where they left off, Gabriel Magalhaes heading a corner towards goal where his fellow Brazilian Thiago Silva controlled on the line before coolly clearing under pressure.
Xhaka nearly went from provider to scorer but Kepa pushed his strike away before Jesus could not keep an effort down with Arsenal rampant.
Chelsea would pull a goal back, just their second in eight games, as Madueke bundled home his first Premier League goal after skipping inside Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Mykhailo Mudryk, strongly linked with Arsenal before his January move to Chelsea, was introduced by the visitors six minutes later. He had a laser pen shone at him on several occasions but saw plenty of the ball as he sought to make the closing stages nervy for the Gunners.
However, unlike in recent weeks when Arteta’s defence has creaked under pressure, they stood firm to see out the game and secure a vital win.
Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury.
White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term.
After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.
It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign.
Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team.
"It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.
"We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.
"He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."
Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."
It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".
There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday.
After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.
Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem.
'Right guy at the right time' - Amorim confident of changing Man Utd's fortunes
Ruben Amorim believes he is the "right guy at the right time" to turn Manchester United's fortunes around.
The 39-year-old signed a two-and-a-half-year deal earlier this month to keep him at Old Trafford until June 2027, replacing Erik ten Hag after he was sacked in October.
Amorim is the sixth permanent United manager since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, having left Sporting CP to take charge during the international break.
He won two Primeira Liga titles as Sporting head coach as well as two Taca da Liga trophies, while he led the club to a perfect start in the league this season, winning all 11 of their games.
United sit 13th in the Premier League table ahead of their trip to Ipswich Town on 15 points, though they are just four points behind Chelsea in third.
Amorim recognised the size of the task ahead of him in Manchester but is confident he can make a change.
"I'm a little bit of a dreamer and I believe in myself, and I believe in the club," he said during his first press conference.
"I think we have the same idea, the same mindset and that can help.
"I truly believe in the players; I know you don't believe a lot, but I do. I want to try new things. You guys don't think it's possible, I do.
"Call me naive, but I believe I am the right guy at the right time. I truly believe I am the right guy."
Aged 39 years and 302 days, Amorim will be the youngest to take charge of his first match for the Red Devils since Wilf McGuinness in August 1969 (31y 288d).
United have won just four of their 11 league games so far this season, and have struggled in front of goal, netting just 12 times so far.
Expected to implement his favoured 3-4-3 formation, Amorim admitted it would take time for the club to adapt and has asked for patience as the players get used to his tactics.
"I know at Manchester United we have to win games. We need a lot of time because it's a tough league, we have to improve a lot to try to win the title," he added.
"We have to change the physical aspect of the team. I don't know how long it will take."
'If we get relegated, I will be here', says Guardiola amid Man City charges
Pep Guardiola insisted he would stay with Manchester City even if the club is relegated as punishment for their alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.
Guardiola, who joined City in 2016, signed a new two-year contract extension on Friday, ending speculation over his current deal that was due to expire at the end of the season.
The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.
During his time in charge, the Spaniard has won 18 trophies, including six Premier League titles and their maiden Champions League crown last year.
He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.
However, a hearing into Man City's 115 charges for allegedly breaking the Premier League's rules is also under way, but Guardiola said he will stay regardless of the outcome.
"I said that six months ago. If we get relegated, I will be here and next year we're going to come up to the Premier League. I knew it then, I feel it now," Guardiola said.
He also revealed that he agreed to fresh terms at the Etihad in less than two hours.
"I felt I should stay here. Of course, because they want me. For obvious reasons, for the results and because we've known each other for a long time," he added.
"All my decisions have been like that, what I feel in the moment. I don't pre-convince, I wait. I decided to stay here and in just two hours we did it [agreed the contract]."
City welcome Tottenham to the Etihad this weekend on the back of four consecutive defeats - Guardiola's longest losing run in his entire managerial career.
The Citizens last lost more consecutively between March and April 2006 under Stuart Pearce (six – the fifth game of which was also against Tottenham).
They have also won just three of their last 10 top-flight games against Tottenham (D2 L5) and are looking to win consecutive meetings with them for the first time since April 2019.
Despite their run of form, Guardiola was quick to point out his side's recent success, most notably becoming the first team to win four consecutive Premier League titles.
"When you are here for nine years, with a long time at one club, you live all the scenarios, all the situations," Guardiola said.
"You're able to lose four games in a row, but at the same time, you're able to win four Premier Leagues in a row.
"The difference is that most of the teams are able to lose four games in a row in different competitions, but just one team won four Premier Leagues in a row. So it happened.
"Did it happen in one season? No. When you've been somewhere eight or nine years, yeah, both sides of the run can happen."
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