Arsenal strengthened their grip on third spot after brushing aside 10-man Wolves that almost certainly left their survival hopes in tatters.
Sebastien Bassong saw red for a clumsy tackle on Theo Walcott inside the penalty area after a neat one-two with Robin van Persie, with the Dutchman cheekily dinking the resulting penalty over Wayne Hennessey.
Walcott then doubled his side’s lead minutes later after another fine combination with van Persie, shooting low past a static Hennessey.
Wolves rallied after the break, and almost caught the Gunners off-guard, with striker Kevin Doyle forcing a brilliant reaction save from Woijiech Szczesney.
But Yossi Benayoun sealed the win with a low drive into the bottom corner.
The hosts brought centre-back Christophe Berra on to replace midfielder David Davis between the two early goals, in response to Bassong's dismissmal.
But such is the mood at bottom-of-the-table Wolves that the crowd greeted the substitution by directing choruses of "you don't know what you're doing" at boss Terry Connor.
And the choruses will only grow louder in the coming months, with Wolves now nine points away from Premier League safety with only five games remaining.
For their opponents, the result keeps them within arms reach of a Champions League spot for the sixteenth successive season.
It is a remarkable comeback by Arsene Wenger’s side. After dispelling the early season myth of Arsenal on the brink of a full-scale collapse, the Gunners have managed to reduce a ten-point deficit over archrivals Tottenham Hotspur, seemingly impossible a few months ago.
And with Wenger’s men in such scintillating form, the five-point gap between Arsenal and Spurs could grow to eight points by the time Redkanpp’s side next play.
Robin van Persie on a hot streak that has petered out of late, managed to re-light his goal-scoring fire with a cute penalty only eight minutes in. Theo Walcott burst into the box after an instinctive chip by van Persie found its way into the England winger’s path, only for Bassong to foul him when one-on-one with the Hennessey.
The goal was the Dutchman’s 33rd of the season, and his 45th in 50 league games.
It was more combination work between the Gunners captain and Walcott that set up the next goal only two minutes later. A neat one-two between the pair saw Walcott racing clear, passing stylishly into the bottom right corner of Hennessey’s net.
Arsenal then eased into a comfortable passing rhythm, electing not to trouble a shattered Wolves backline, and instead, keeping the ball with consummate ease.
But the hosts almost took advantage of their opponent’s complacency on the ball after the interval, with Kevin Doyle heading a goal-bound header only for Szczesney to deny him with a miraculous save to his right.
Arsenal responded with great diligence, with Aaron Ramsey – starting in place of the in-form Tomas Rosicky - typically buckling in front of goal after another finely crafted chance went to waste.
Van Persie also missed with his weaker right foot after some great work by Mikel Arteta.
But Benayoun’s goal came soon after, tucking in a shot from the edge of the area after Alex Song’s precision pull-back, all but confirming Wolves’s relegation.