Arsenal ensured that they did not crash out of the Premier League title race as Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard inspired a 3-0 win against Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Gunners鈥� fourth successive victory took them to 83 points 鈥� four ahead of Manchester City, who have two games in hand.
Saka鈥檚 penalty put Mikel Arteta鈥檚 side ahead on the stroke of half-time at the Emirates Stadium.
Trossard and Declan Rice struck in the closing stages to secure a vital three points.
Arsenal鈥檚 26th Premier League victory this season equalled the club鈥檚 top-flight record for a single campaign.
Arteta鈥檚 men gifted the title to City last season after a blowing an eight-point lead in the closing weeks.
But the north Londoners have learned from that meltdown, winning 14 of their 16 league games in 2024 to stay firmly in the hunt.
Arsenal travel to Manchester United in their penultimate game next weekend before hosting Everton in what they hope will be a potential title clincher on May 19.
Arteta was a childhood friend of Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola back home in Spain, but there was no room for sentimentality with the title on the line.
Bournemouth keeper Mark Travers was destined for a busy afternoon and it wasn鈥檛 long before he made his first save to deny Kai Havertz from a tight angle.
Even Arsenal defender William Saliba was willing to rumble forward, cleverly cutting back to find space for a shot that Travers saved at his near post.
Travers repelled a stinging strike from Saka, with Takehiro Tomiyasu鈥檚 effort cleared off the line from the resulting corner.
Unmarked 10 yards from goal, Declan Rice lashed narrowly wide from Havertz鈥檚 knock down, a miss that left anxiety and frustration etched all over Arteta鈥檚 face.
Arteta could finally relax in the 45th minute when Havertz left his leg dangling to ensure he was tripped by the slightest contact from Travers as the German skipped around him.
Saka stepped up to calmly slot the penalty down the middle for his 20th goal in all competitions this season.
Trossard delivered the knockout blow in the 70th minute, running onto Rice鈥檚 pass and slotting a clinical finish past Travers from 12 yards.
Bournemouth鈥檚 Antoine Semenyo had a goal harshly disallowed for a soft challenge by Solanke on Raya.
But Rice blasted home from close-range deep into stoppage-time as Arsenal cruised to a victory that kept their title dreams alive.