Arsene Wenger dipped into his memory on Saturday evening and found nothing. There has never, in his recollection, been a title race quite so close or diverse in two decades of Premier League management.
That as many as five teams are still in contention behind Chelsea in the middle of January has simply stunned Arsenal’s manager, whose side added volume to their own claim by obliterating Swansea.
Such is the congestion and rarity of the leading teams dropping points, Arsenal hopped from fifth in the table to third in the space of one Saturday afternoon, with full knowledge that yesterday’s fixtures involving Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City had the potential to dump them right back outside the top four again.