Reiss Nelson scored two and assisted another as Arsenal returned to winning ways and moved back to the Premier League summit after a 5-0 rout of Nottingham Forest.
Mikel Arteta's side dominated at Emirates Stadium to regain their two-point lead over Manchester City, despite losing Bukayo Saka to injury after he assisted Gabriel Martinelli's first-half opener on Sunday.
Saka's replacement Nelson added a quickfire second-half brace before teeing up Thomas Partey for the fourth, with Martin Odegaard capping victory with a powerful finish after 78 minutes.
Victory saw Arsenal emphatically respond to a 1-1 draw at Southampton and Europa League defeat to PSV, while Steve Cooper's side remain bottom with two league games left before November's World Cup break.
Martinelli headed Arsenal into a fifth-minute lead after finding the bottom-right corner following Saka's curling cross, before Gabriel Jesus whipped narrowly wide three minutes later.
Renan Lodi cleared a Martinelli effort off the line as Arsenal dominated the first half that was somewhat marred by Saka's removal following what seemed to be an ankle injury.
Nelson powered home on the rebound four minutes into the second half following a Dean Henderson save and doubled his personal account after turning Jesus' low near-post cross into the bottom-left corner.
Partey added a fourth with a delightful curler into the top-right corner from Nelson's offload to the edge of the area, before Jesus teed up Odegaard to smash past Henderson and seal a dominant win.
What does it mean? Arsenal continue title charge
Arsenal failed to replicate a dominant first half at Southampton, squandering a one-goal lead after an underwhelming second-half showing that was somewhat a throwback to the Gunners' struggles in recent years.
But Arteta's side avoided following suit in their next league outing, picking up their eighth straight win against newly promoted sides – their longest such run in the competition since an eight-game streak between January 2013 and April 2014.
While tougher tasks will follow, with a trip to Chelsea next Sunday, Arsenal continue to keep pace with City.
Super Saka upstaged by Nelson
Only Cesc Fabregas and Wayne Rooney reached 20 Premier League assists when younger than Saka, aged 21 years and 55 days, but England may be concerned over the winger's fitness ahead of the World Cup.
Nelson proved a capable deputy on the right flank for Arsenal, though, scoring his third and fourth Premier League goals in the space of just over three minutes. His first and second such strikes were spread across two years and 107 days.
Lost Lingard
Jesse Lingard may have fond memories of Emirates Stadium, labelling Arsenal's home ground as his "dance floor" after scoring in Manchester United's 3-1 FA Cup win in 2019.
But the midfielder failed to deliver on this outing in north London, managing the fewest touches of any outfield starter (14) and making just five passes before his 56th-minute removal.
What's next?
Arsenal host Zurich in the Europa League on Thursday before the crunch London derby with Chelsea, while Forest are at home to Brentford on Saturday.
Nuno encouraged by Forest's attitude and commitment, despite Man City defeat
Nuno Espirito Santo believes Nottingham Forest will "achieve what we want" by replicating the attitude demonstrated during their defeat by Manchester City.
Forest went down 2-0 against their title-chasing opponents at the City Ground, and remain just a point clear of the relegation zone with three games remaining.
Despite the defeat, the hosts produced a spirited performance against Pep Guardiola's side, while registering 14 shots on goal compared to 11 from the Citizens - meaning they had had more shots in both meetings this season.
Forest face already relegated Sheffield United, Chelsea and fellow strugglers Burnley in their final three games, and Nuno has seen enough to be confident of securing the Reds' Premier League status for another year.
"We played a good game, were compact, organised and had chances," he told Sky Sports. "We did a good job regarding how hard it is to play against Manchester City, and the players gave it a big go.
"We are disappointed with the result, but the encouragement comes from the way we work, how committed we are, and what we have ahead of us. This is more important.
"We stay positive, and we go for the next three games. With this attitude, we will achieve what we want."
Defender Moussa Niakhate echoes his manager's thoughts, adding: "We had three big chances in the first half, but we didn't score. That was the difference.
"Everybody is working hard. We can be proud. If we perform like this in the next three games, we'll stay up."
Napoli 2-2 Roma: Late Abraham header denies wasteful hosts
A wasteful Napoli were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Roma in Serie A, with a late Tammy Abraham header securing a point for the visitors.
The visitors took the lead from the penalty spot a minute before the hour mark, with Paulo Dybala converting after Juan Jesus fouled Sardar Amzoun.
However, Napoli equalised six minutes later through Matias Olivera's deflected shot, and completed the turnaround with their own penalty six minutes from time as Victor Osimhen tucked away after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was felled by Renato Sanches.
The hosts could not hold on, though, and were pegged back with two minutes to go. Substitute Abraham's header from a corner was eventually awarded following a VAR review after he had initially been ruled offside.
Data debrief
Napoli remain eighth in the Serie A table on 50 points, the exact amount they had registered after their opening 19 games of last season.
Though his penalty was not enough to earn Roma victory, Dybala continued his impressive start to 2024, during which he has been involved in the joint-most goals in Serie A with 12 (nine goals, three assists).
Gvardiol: Four more finals for City in title fight
Josko Gvardiol believes there are "four more finals" for Manchester City between them and the Premier League title.
City won 2-0 at Nottingham Forest on Sunday thanks to a first-half header from Gvardiol before a 71st-minute Erling Haaland finish wrapped up the points.
The victory moves City one point behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand. The Gunners played earlier on Sunday, winning 3-2 at north London rivals Tottenham.
The destination of the Premier League title remains in City's hands as they bid for a sixth Premier League title in seven seasons, and Gvardiol acknowledged that every game between now and the end of the season is vital.
"We need to be focused on ourselves," Gvardiol told Sky Sports. "That’s what we are doing.
"There are four more finals to the end so let's do it."
Gvardiol's goal set City on course for victory at the City Ground, nodding home from Kevin De Bruyne's inswinging corner.
It was only Gvardiol's second Premier League goal since arriving at City from RB Leipzig prior to this season.
Gvardiol was somewhat surprised to get on the scoresheet, saying: "I didn't expect to score, but I found myself in a good position.
"It was really tough especially as the pitch was really dry. It's a more than important three points."
Pep Guardiola was delighted to come away with the three points against a Forest side fighting for their lives at the bottom, with the defeat to City leaving Nuno Espirito Santo's men in a perilous position, just a point above the relegation zone with three games to play.
"It was a difficult game," Guardiola told Sky Sports. "They played with bravery. They have fast players with a lot of quality.
"It is a great victory as we had a lot of games behind us. These games are so, so tough at this stage in the Premier League. Now we have a long week to recover."
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