Arsenal set a new club record while Kai Havertz achieved an all-time first in Tuesday's 5-0 Premier League obliteration of Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners hosted Mauricio Pochettino's men in North London following a tense 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season, and emphatic performances had been hard to come by in the past couple of weeks.
Mikel Arteta's attackers were nullified in losses to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich, but the Gunners got back on track with a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend, albeit one that was not a riveting watch.
Meanwhile, Chelsea had numerous chances to score against Manchester City in their FA Cup semi-final, but profligacy cost them dear in a 1-0 defeat, and Pochettino's side were a class below Arsenal in all departments on Tuesday.
Arsenal did have to fend off a couple of Blues counter-attacks on home turf and survived a couple of scares at the back, but by the end of the night, they revelled in recording a historic victory over their London rivals.
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Arsenal post biggest-ever win over Chelsea
By putting five past Chelsea without reply, Arsenal set a new club record for their biggest-ever margin of victory against the Blues, surpassing their 5-1 success in the 1930-31 First Division.
The rout began with Leandro Trossard's fourth-minute strike, which crept in at Djordje Petrovic's near post, although the Gunners squandered a couple of chances to put the game to bed before the break.
Such wastefulness would not come back to haunt Arteta's side, who were in a merciless mood in the second half, where right-back Ben White and ex-Chelsea man Havertz both conjured up braces.
White's composed close-range finish doubled Arsenal's lead before Havertz got on in the act on two occasions, firstly firing into the roof of the net before managing to squeeze in a second off the inside of the post.
With the result already a foregone conclusion, there was time for Arsenal to make it a five-star display in freak circumstances, as what looked to be a sliced cross from White ended up deceiving Petrovic and rippling the far side of the net.
Kai Havertz achieves unprecedented feat against old club
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As well as reaching double figures in goals for the first time in the English top flight, Havertz's double saw him become the first man to score twice in one Premier League game against Chelsea having previously played for them.
The record-breaking feats did not stop there for Arsenal, who fired a total of 27 shots on Chelsea's goal on Tuesday evening, their most in a Premier League game since data became available in 2003.
In addition, the Gunners won the ball back 15 times in the final third, which is their highest figure in a Premier League game under Arteta so far, as they established a three-point lead over Liverpool at the summit.
The Reds will draw level with their London counterparts by beating Merseyside rivals Everton on Wednesday, though, while Manchester City - who tackle Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday - are four points behind with two games in hand.
Another capital clash awaits Arteta's side on Sunday afternoon, albeit one of far greater significance, as the Gunners head to the home of their bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur for the 195th North London derby.
Ben Knapton
