Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium to move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Goals from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Granit Xhaka helped the Gunners secure a comfortable victory in North London. The result never seemed to be in doubt. The hosts controlled the match from start to finish, and were 2-0 up by half-time.
The Eagles scored one consolation goal to make it 3-1 in the second half, but it never materialised into anything meaningful for the remainder of the match.
Both sides now have ten games remaining this season, but with very different hopes. A win for Arsenal helped continue their hopes of securing their first title since 2004, whilst Crystal Palace continue to be dragged into a relegation fight.
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Saka lights up the Emirates again
It is easy to run out of superlatives to describe Saka nowadays. The winger ran the show in North London and led his side to victory on Sunday afternoon. The 21-year-old scored twice and assisted once to send the travelling fans home disappointed.
His first involvement came when he assisted Martinelli for the opener. He found the Brazilian with a perfectly weighted cross, which the winger controlled before firing into the net. The goal meant Saka became the first player to reach ten goals and ten assists in the Premier League this season.
But it was Saka's first goal that showed his true quality in the final third. The youngster latched onto Ben White's through-ball with ease, before placing a left-footed strike into the bottom left corner. He showed composure and calmness of the highest degree to double the Gunner's lead.
The England international made it 4-1 late in the second half. Saka connected with Kieran Tierney's low in-swinging cross, before curling another left-footed strike into the bottom left corner.
Erling Braut Haaland is the clear favourite to win the player of the year award, but, if Arsenal win the league, there is a fair argument to have that Saka deserves to write his name into the history books.
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Arsenal march on
Very few thought the Gunners would be in a title race this season, but week after week, the North London side continue to defy expectations.
It seemed Mikel Arteta's side were back to their best against Crystal Palace. After a disappointing European exit against Sporting Lisbon on Thursday, the hosts wanted to prove a point, and they did that with ease.
From start to finish, they controlled the match and showed why they may lift the title in May. Xhaka and Thomas Partey played another pivotal part in their success on Sunday.
The duo helped control the middle of the park, and regulate the tempo of the match at the Emirates Stadium. This, combined with Martin Odegaard's brilliance further forward, helped the hosts break through the Eagles relatively weak defence with ease.
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Eagles' relegation woes take another turn
Halfway through the season, Crystal Palace looked to be cruising to another season in the top flight of English football. Although they were not performing remarkably, they looked strong enough to be able to finish midtable under Patrick Vieira.
A few months on, Vieira has been sacked, and the South London side are sleepwalking into a relegation battle.
Patrick McCarthy took charge on an interim basis against Arteta' side, but he was unable to invent any new ideas into his team. The visitors, despite a bright start, looked devoid of structure in the final third, and continued to look shaky defensively.
Considering Vieira was only sacked on Friday, it is understandable that McCarthy chose to stick with a similar team that lost to Brighton on Wednesday.
The Eagles have an easier run of fixtures coming up, but, if they want to stay in the Premier League for another season, they must improve in all aspects on the pitch.
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Zaha struggles to make an impact
Wilfried Zaha had not scored in eleven games for his club before the match on Sunday. Against Arsenal, that record increased to twelve matches.
The former Manchester United winger did not look lively in the final third, and was easily restrained by Ben White at right back. The Ivory Coast international can be one of the most dangerous wingers in the league on his day, but he did not show that in Islington.
He completed just one dribble out of six, zero accurate crosses, and also missed one big chance. When playing teams like Arsenal it is crucial that you take your chances when you get them. Yet that is one the few things Zaha struggles with the most.
He is not a natural finisher, and lacks the killer touch in the final third. Zaha, partnered with Michael Olise on the other side, need to offer more in the final third if they want to help Crystal Palace secure survival.
If Zaha wants to move to a bigger club in the summer when his contract expires, he must improve his consistency in the final third, otherwise he may be forced to stay at Selhurst Park.