Tottenham Hotspur ended Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Premier League title as they won the North London derby 2-1.
Danny Rose put Spurs ahead with a stunning volley on his Premier League debut, and Gareth Bale added the second early in the second-half.
Nicklas Bendtner pulled one back with five minutes to go, but Spurs held on for their first league victory over Arsenal in over a decade.
The result leaves Chelsea four points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table, with Arsenal two points further back. All three sides have four games remaining.
Tottenham, meanwhile, are a point behind Manchester City in the race for fourth, both sides having five games to go.
In a furious opening, Sol Campbell had a header cleared off the line and Thomas Vermaelen made a superb block to deny Roman Pavlyuchenko.
It was Spurs who made the breakthrough after 10 minutes.
Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia seemed to have got good distance of a punch from Luka Modric’s right-wing corner, but as the ball dropped, Rose crashed a 35-yard volley into the roof of the net.
The 19-year-old could hardly have dreamed of a better start to his first Premier League game, and however many goals he scores in his senior career, he is unlikely to score any more spectacular.
That came slightly against the run of play, and Arsenal’s dominance only became more obvious.
Tottenham, though, have only let in more than a goal once at home in the Premier League this season, and Arsenal struggled to create clear chances.
When Tomas Rosicky laid in Nicklas Bendtner, the ball rather got caught under his feet, and he scuffed his shot.
As Arsenal struggled to make their possession count, Spurs posed significant threat on the break, and it took a brave save from Almunia to keep out Modric as he skipped by Gael Clichy.
The game was effectively won two minutes into the second-half.
Arsenal’s defending was atrocious, Sol Campbell allowing Jermain Defoe to saunter past him, Bakary Sagna playing everybody onside, and Mickael Silvestre, on for Vermaelen who suffered a calf strain, losing Bale, who latched onto Defoe’s diagonal pass and sidefooted past Almunia.
At that, Arsenal’s belief almost visibly drained away from them, but the arrival of Robin van Persie off the bench after a five-month absence with injury gave them new momentum.
Bendtner slid a shot just wide, and then Heurelho Gomes made three superb saves to keep Tottenham’s lead at two.
First he produced a stunning reaction to tip over a Van Persie volley, then leapt up and to his right to push a Van Persie free-kick over, and then used the same right hand to deflect Campbell’s header onto the bar.
He could do nothing, though, as Van Persie masterminded a move that ended with Bendtner forcing the ball over the line.
It was too late to change the result on the night, but it did suggest what Arsenal might have done had Van Persie not been out for so long.
Any hopes Aston Villa retained of qualifying for the Champions League disappeared as they drew 2-2 at home to Everton.
Tim Cahill headed Everton in front from a Leighton Baines cross midway through the first-half.
Gabriel Agbonlahor touched in a James Milner cross to level on 72 minutes, but two minutes later Cahill headed in his second.
A last-minute own-goal from Phil Jagielka after being put under pressure by an Ashley Young cross gave Villa a share of the spoils.
Wigan Athletic remain in relegation trouble, just five points above the drop zone, after they were held to a goalless draw by Portsmouth.
