To put this into perspective, Arsenal are now five points nearer to West Bromwich Albion than they are to Manchester City: and on Thursday night, at times, it looked like it.
City took them apart in the space of 18 minutes. Scored three goals and then toyed with them for the remainder, conserving energy for the fixture with Chelsea on Sunday. They were so clinical, so stylish in the way they finished Arsenal off, it is hard to believe it was not part of a wider plan.
They knew they had the beating of them, and once that lead was established, they knew they could keep them at arm’s length, too.