Didier Drogba's deadly double powered Chelsea to a 2-0 win over Arsenal which moved them back to the top of the Premier League table on Sunday.
Manchester United had replaced Carlo Ancelotti's troops in top spot after peppering Portsmouth on Saturday - but Chelsea's victory in the London derby at Stamford Bridge saw them leapfrog the Red Devils and also pull a whopping nine points clear of Arsene Wenger's men.
The Blues still had their 3-0 November win over their neighbours at The Emirates fresh in their minds when they took the lead after just eight minutes, when captain John Terry flicked on a corner to the far post where Drogba poked home from close range to continue his prolific goalscoring record against the Gunners.
Andrey Arshavin volleyed straight at Petr Cech while both Cesc Fabregas and Gael Clichy drilled long-range shots wide as the visitors responded well.
But it was 2-0 on 23 minutes, when Ivory Coast powerhouse Drogba netted his 12th goal in 10 starts against Wenger's troops, this time finishing off a swift counter-attack with Frank Lampard when he cut inside two Arsenal players and lashed a left-footed strike past Manuel Almunia from 12 yards.
Wenger clearly issued some stirring words during the half-time interval as the Gunners bossed proceedings for most of the second half, with Samir Nasri bursting into the box on the hour mark before dwelling too long on the ball and allowing Ashley Cole to snuff out the danger.
Wenger threw on Nicklas Bendtner, Tomas Rosicky and Emmanuel Eboue from the bench, but it was Fabregas who went closest to scoring for the visitors, drawing a fine low save from Cech with a low 20-yard free-kick on 69.
The hosts were happy to cruise through the closing stages, and the impressive Drogba was denied a hat-trick on 83 minutes, when his 25-yard free-kick flew like an exocet over the wall and crashed against the crossbar.
Drogba was given a standing ovation after leaving the pitch in stoppage time, and the victory ensured Blues skipper Terry ended a troubled week - during which he lost the England captain's armband following tabloid revelations surrounding his private life - on a high note.
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