Premier League leaders Arsenal have earned yet another slice of English Football League history with their 4-1 thumping of Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
With the chance to surge clear of FA Cup-competing Manchester City at the top of the table, Arsenal faced no new manager bounce against the Eagles, who sacked Gunners legend Patrick Vieira just two days before the game.
A brace from Bukayo Saka complemented strikes from Gabriel Martinelli and Granit Xhaka, with Jeffrey Schlupp's effort proving to be a mere consolation for the visitors.
The Gunners enter the international break eight points clear of the reigning champions having played a game more, and Mikel Arteta's current crop have set a new record when it comes to London derbies.
Victory over Palace marked a ninth London derby win for Arsenal this season - no team has ever achieved so many triumphs in capital clashes during a single campaign.
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Arteta's side have remarkably amassed 28 points from their 30 meetings against fellow London clubs this season, only failing to beat Brentford in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates last month.
Having been knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday, as well as losing Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba to injuries, Arteta was understandably chuffed with the reaction his side showed at the Emirates.
"I'm really happy, very pleased with the way we started the game. I was really happy with the way they reacted after Thursday, and we took any question mark away from it," arsenal.com quotes Arteta as saying in his post-game press conference.
"We showed a lot of determination, a lot of purpose in our way of playing. I'm really happy to perform the way we did after playing 120 minutes, after losing two big players for us and to still compete and win the game how we did."
Due to the injuries to Saliba and Tomiyasu, Arteta brought in Rob Holding for his first Premier League start of the season, and the Englishman slotted seamlessly into the Gunners' backline.
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Holding won 11 of his 15 ground and aerial duels on the day, as well as making five clearances and impressing with his passing, completing five of five long ball attempts.
With Saliba - who has withdrawn from the France squad for their Euro 2024 qualifiers - supposedly facing several weeks out with a back problem, Holding could be required in some crucial matches during the run-in, and Saka was full of praise for his compatriot.
"I gave him a big hug when he came into the changing room because he deserves it," the 21-year-old said in an interview with Arsenal's media channels.
"He was magnificent. We need that, you know, when he's coming in to stay at the level that we've been playing. He was unbelievable today, so credit to him."
Arsenal's first game back following the international break sees them host Leeds United on April 1 before a trip to Anfield to meet Liverpool eight days later.
Ben Knapton
