Two goals from Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla helped Arsenal move level on points with fifth-place Southampton as in form Newcastle United were beaten 4-1.
It was a thrilling encounter capped off by some exceptional goals, which finished with Cazorla’s cheeky Panenka penalty.
Arsenal began brightly and were unlucky not to take the lead after just seven minutes when Per Mertesacker’s header crashed off the crossbar from Cazorla’s corner.
But they did not have to wait long for the goal and it was Giroud who powered the home side in front.
Picking the ball up in the Newcastle half, the France striker pushed it out wide to Alexis Sanchez and charged towards the Magpies penalty area where he was on hand to head his team-mate’s cross past Jak Alnwick.
Danny Welbeck then had a goal ruled out minutes later when he was ruled to have fouled Daryl Janmaat before poking the ball beyond Alnwick. It was a harsh decision and the England striker came close to scoring again before the half-time whistle.
Benefitting from Sanchez’s wonderful scooped pass over the Newcastle defence on the edge of the area, Welbeck connected superbly, but his volley sailed just wide of Alnwick’s post.
Newcastle, though, could have equalised were it not for Wojciech Szczesny, who denied Papiss Cisse from close range.
However, it took just ten minutes after the restart for Arsenal to double their lead when Cazorla, on his 30th birthday, latched onto a through ball from Sanchez to chip the goalkeeper from a very tight angle.
And then it was Giroud again with a touch of class, turning in the ball with the outside of his left foot to score Arsenal’s third goal of the night.
But Newcastle were not about to throw in the towel and shortly after the hour mark, Ayoze Perez headed in Jack Colback’s free-kick to set up a pulsating final 30 minutes.
However, some poor defending from Fabrico Coloccini almost culminated in a fourth for Arsenal, with Kieran Gibbs’ volley whizzing past the post.
Giroud’s evening came to an end with 20 minutes remaining when he was replaced by Lukas Podolski and the Gooners inside the Emirates were on their feet to show the striker their appreciation for his effort.
Into the last ten minutes chants of ‘One Arsene Wenger’ could be heard from the crowd and Cazorla gave them something else to cheer about when his chipped penalty down the middle topped the evening off, following a clumsy Dummett challenge on Welbeck.
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