We got back to winning ways by claiming an impressive 3-1 win against Chelsea at Emirates Stadium, and there was plenty to digest as we returned to the top of the table.
A fantastic first half did the damage as we roared into a 3-0 lead against the Blues to ensure we won three consecutive Premier League games against Chelsea for the first time since February 2004, and completed a league double over our west London rivals.
Here are five notable talking points post-match:
Ringing the changes
Arteta made three changes to our starting line-up tonight, the joint-most he’d made between Premier League games this season - and for the third time in succession, it worked a treat.
Mikel made a trio of changes following the losses against Manchester United in September and Everton in March, and we went on to beat Brentford 3-0 as well as claw three points from the epic against Bournemouth. The introduction of our three January singings made a huge impact, with Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho particularly impressing…
Jorginho shows Chelsea what they were missing
Much of the pre-match talk was about the return of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but the player who really came back to haunt their former club was Jorginho. Having replaced Thomas Partey in midfield, the Italian enjoyed a fine game as he dictated play in the middle of the park.
No-one had more touches than him (77), he won back possession more often than any of our players (9 times) and completed more passes (63) than anyone else on the pitch, and saw his replacement at Stamford Bridge Enzo Fernandez replaced on 70 minutes.
Kiwior solid at the back
Aubameyang left the fray at half-time having had just nine touches in the opening 45 minutes, much of which was down to the impressive play of Kiwior. On his first Premier League start, the young Polish defender ensured the Gabon striker never had a sniff of goal, tracking his movement and making three key interceptions.
The centre-back won back possession seven times during the encounter and made the most clearances of all our players during an impressive display.
Odegaard hits new heights
Two more goals for our skipper tonight has seen him hit 14 goals this campaign, including four in his last four matches. That recent flurry saw him surpass his best-ever return in a campaign when he bagged 11 on loan at Vitesse in the Netherlands in 2018/19.
In fact, only once in our 30 previous Premier League campaigns has a central midfielder netted more often - that came in 2009/10 when Cesc Fabregas notched 15.
Four into double figures
So far this season in the Premier League, 17 players have hit double figures for goals, and we now have four of them. Gabriel Jesus’ strike took him up to 10 in our colours, and meant that he joined Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka in hitting the milestone.
It is just the second time we’ve seen four players reach double figures in the competition, with the last coming a decade ago in 2012/13 when Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud, Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott all enjoyed fine returns in front of goal.
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