Arsenal marked Halloween with a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance as Arsene Wenger's men shrugged off a woeful first-half display to thump Swansea City 3-0 at the Liberty Stadium.
Olivier Giroud got the show on the road early in the second half after the visitors were comprehensively out-played for the previous 49 minutes.
Laurent Koscielny and Joel Campbell completed the scoring on a day when the Gunners offered a further glimpse of their title credentials.
Below, Sports Mole reviews how the points were won in South Wales.
Match statistics
SWANSEA CITY
Shots: 8
On target: 13
Possession: 54%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 12
ARSENAL
Shots: 15
On target: 5
Possession: 46%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 7
Was the result fair?
The result? Yes, though the scoreline might flatter Arsenal somewhat. If ever there was a game of two halves, this was it. Wenger's side were truly abysmal in the first half, but as soon as they moved up a gear, Swansea never had a chance. The visitors were too slick after the break, moving the ball much better but, in truth, the result could have been a lot different had City taken some of their first-half chances.
Swansea City's performance
On a day which will see the ghouls come out in force, the goals were in short supply in South Wales. Swansea were knocking at the door, but it was more trick than treat in a first half which saw Garry Monk's side undermine their own efforts with wayward finishing. It was Bafetimbi Gomis, in particular, who missed two excellent opportunities to break the deadlock - one of which being a one-on-one with Petr Cech.
Their physical approach was a major reason behind their first-half domination, with Monk employing a high-energy pressing game to stifle the visitors. They failed to keep it up, however. They could not lay a glove on the North Londoners after the break and the cream simply rose to the top.
Monk will certainly take exception to the way in which the Gunners doubled their advantage, with Lukasz Fabianski - who was once dubbed 'Flappyhandski' during his spell with Arsenal - dropping the ball under pressure from Giroud. The young manager looked furious on the touchline, but on closer inspection it was an error from the goalkeeper, who should have punched the ball rather than try to catch it.
Arsenal's performance
Draped in their gold kit, Arsenal produced a performance that will only consolidate the belief that they can be first past the finish line come May. If playing poorly and still winning games is the hallmark of champions, then Wenger and co have as strong a claim as any this term. The first half threw up a side of Arsenal which their manager will not want to see too often. He saw it on Tuesday, when they went down 3-0 at Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup. Per Mertesacker was the only defender who started both games, but there was still a nervousness in the visitors' defence tonight - one that would have seen them fall behind if not for Hector Bellerin. The jet-heeled right-back produced a fine last-ditch tackle to thwart Gomis from tapping into an empty net.
Their back four looked on a different wavelength, but it was a different story after the break. They were the better side right from the off and Giroud showed why he is so important to their cause on 49 minutes. The French striker showcased his superb movement to fool Ashley Williams, before directing Mesut Ozil's brilliant out-swinging corner past Fabianski for what was Arsenal's 2000th goal in all competitions under Wenger. Not many of the previous 1,999 could have been as undeserved as that, given what transpired in the first half. Wenger did not care.
From there, it was easy. Arsenal invited Swansea pressure and then broke at speed on the counter-attack, with Ozil particularly brilliant, while the in-form Alexis Sanchez endured a rare off-day. The second came when Giroud pressured Fabianski, who inexplicably decided to catch the ball rather than punch. He dropped it and Koscielny was on hand to turn and roll the ball home from close range - his second goal in seven days.
Wenger will feel particularly pleased about their third, given who scored it. The Frenchman told Campbell - in the team due to injuries to Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - that it was sink or swim time for him - and the Costa Rican reacted accordingly. He was one of Arsenal's better players in the first half, and he marked his performance with a goal by latching on to Ozil's excellent cross, before caressing the ball home on 73 minutes for his first Arsenal goal.
The Gunners stay second in the table on goal difference, following Manchester City's late winner at home to Norwich City, but the way in which Wenger's side picked up this victory suggests that they are going nowhere.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Mesut Ozil: Like so many of his teammates, Ozil was nowhere to be seen in a first half which saw Arsenal emphatically out-played by their South Welsh counterparts. However, the Gunners were significantly better after the break, and nobody was behind that resurgence more than Ozil.
Biggest gaffe
It has to be Gomis, who showed why he has endured a six-match goalless streak in the first half. The French striker, without a goal since August, went through one-on-one with Cech, but his body language never once inspired confidence. He brought it around the ex-Chelsea man, but he was sluggish with the finish and Bellerin's last-ditch tackle snuffed out the chance. Honourable mention to Fabianski, but Gomis's miss could have changed the course of the match.
Referee performance
Kevin Friend was more of a friend to Swansea than Arsenal in a first half which saw him refuse to brandish the yellow card when a number of tackles warranted one. Nevertheless, he is certain to incur the wrath of Monk in his post-match interview after allowing Koscielny's goal to stand, but it was an error from the Polish goalkeeper and blaming Friend would be harsh.
What's next?
Swansea City: Monk and co are back in action next Saturday for a trip to Norwich City.
Arsenal: The North Londoners now gear up for a trip to Germany to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Shane Callaghan
