Arsenal gave their manager Arsene Wenger something to celebrate as he marked 20 years in charge of the club, punishing Chelsea for poor defending to race into a 2-0 lead within 15 minutes.
First, Alexis Sanchez pounced on a feeble attempt at a back pass by Chelsea defender Gary Cahill to beat the advancing Thibaut Courtois with a neat chip in the 11th minute.
Three minutes later, Arsenal were 2-0 up as Hector Bellerin found himself in space on the right and picked out Theo Walcott who blasted home from close range.
Chelsea’s attempts to claw their way back were effectively finished in the 40th minute when Mesut Ozil picked up a loose ball deep in the Arsenal half and raced forward to exchange passes with Sanchez and volley the hosts into a 3-0 lead.
