Artin Odegaard’s first-half brace helped Arsenal hand Frank Lampard a sixth successive defeat since becoming Chelsea caretaker manager – and once again boosted the Gunners’ title hopes.
The Norwegian’s two almost identical finishes and Gabriel Jesus’ goal did the damage in the first half, before Noni Madueke pulled off a consolation at Chelsea.
The victory moved Arsenal back to first place in the Premier League, although Manchester City have a chance to reclaim the position when they host West Ham on Wednesday.
Arsenal flew from the blocks at the Emirates, creating a flurry of early chances, and it was on 19 minutes that Odegaard fired in a deserved opener. Granit Xhaka squared it from the left to the Norwegian, who headed home from under the crossbar.
Chelsea looked shocked, having started the game badly – and in an unusual 4-3-3 system – and they had no response to Mikel Arteta’s frantic side for most of the night.
Arsenal’s second goal was almost a carbon copy of the first, with Xhaka again choosing Odegaard who headed home from around 12 yards.
And the Gunners piled on the misery of Frank Lampard, as Jesus pounced on a more sloppy Chelsea defense to regroup at home at the near post to make it 3-0 after just over half an hour.
The second half brought even more chances for Arsenal who should have stretched their advantage. But Gunners profiling allowed Madueke to cut the deficit in the 65th minute to give Chelsea some hope.
Lampard’s listless side never really threatened to come back, succumbing to another defeat and remaining with 39 points for the season.
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