Arsenal --- Chelsea

Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott hit the target for Arsenal, which last beat Chelsea in November 2008 and hadn't previously scored against the same opponent since May 2009.

Despite Branislav Ivanovic pulling one back with a 57th-minute header, Chelsea couldn't come back against a team it had beaten in their last five encounters in all competitions.

“We concentrated on pressing, everyone was pressing. We didn't give Chelsea any space at all,” Walcott said. “Everything went well. We made Chelsea look average at times. We played some great football and wanted to do it for the fans because in recent years against Chelsea we've been disappointing.”

The loss compounds the problems facing manager Carlo Ancelotti, whose side began the season with five wins in succession but has now failed to win in the league since Nov. 10. Arsenal is two points behind United in second place, while Chelsea is six points off the lead and has slipped to fourth behind Manchester City.

The win ends Arsenal's miserable run against United and Chelsea, who have shared the Premier League trophy between them since 2004. Arsenal had previously failed to beat either team in their last 11 encounters in all competitions.

“Belief was the difference,” Fabregas said. “We did what a great team does. We were fantastic. The league is so tight, anyone can win it.” — AP