Unforgiving Arsenal put down the gauntlet in the Premier League title battle on Tuesday, hammering Chelsea, their rivals in London, 5-0, to go three points clear at the top of the league.

Any lingering questions about Arsenal’s durability were dispelled as soon as Leandro Trossard gave them the lead.

Ben White and Kai Havertz then scored twice apiece in a brilliant burst of goals after the break to completely overwhelm a stunned Chelsea.

Arsenal made a strong statement. Having bounced back from an amazing loss to Aston Villa at home and elimination from the Champions League, they now have four games left and are applying pressure to both Manchester City and Liverpool.

Arsenal leads Liverpool, who play Everton on Wednesday, by 77 points from 34 games.

The defending champions, Manchester City, have 73 points, but they still have two games remaining, beginning on Thursday with a trip to Brighton and Hove Albion.

It was the sixth Premier League game this season in which Arsenal scored five goals or more, and given how closely contested the race is, their significant goal differential advantage may prove to be vital.

Just days after their close loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final, Chelsea suffered their worst-ever defeat at the hands of Arsenal, which dealt a fatal blow to their hopes of making it to the European stage.

Chelsea is currently ranked ninth.