LONDON — Three goals in the final eight minutes of the first half helped give red-hot Arsenal a comfortable 4-1 win over Liverpool in their Premier League match at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
The win — their seventh in a row in the top flight and 10th out of their last 11 — lifts the Gunners into second place, two points ahead of Manchester City who will visit Crystal Palace on Monday night.
Arsenal are now four points behind leaders Chelsea, who will still have a game in hand after they face Stoke later in the day. Liverpool lie fifth with 54 points pending the outcome of later matches.
The hosts drew first blood after 37 minutes when right-back Hector Bellerin saw off a challenge from Alberto Moreno and bent a left-footed shot into the far corner of the Liverpool net.
Three minutes later, Mesut Ozil sent the Emirates faithful into rapture by curling a free-kick inside the far post from 25 yards out. Alexis Sanchez made it 3-0 just before the break, teeing up an Aaron Ramsey cross and hammering it home from 20 yards.
The visitors finally got on the board in the 75th minute when Raheem Sterling was brought down and Jordan Henderson slotted home the resulting penalty.
Nine minutes later Liverpool were reduced to 10 men after Emre Can bowled over Danny Welbeck for his second yellow card of the match.
Olivier Giroud added the coup de grace for Arsenal in injury time with a stylish delivery from the edge of the area.
While Arsenal skipper Arsene Wenger declined to be drawn into talk of a title chase, he said he expected the London club's good form to continue.
"We have the aspiration to win the next game and that's quite good enough," he said. "After that, win the next one.
"Whatever is mathematically possible you have to try to achieve but that doesn't depend only on us. What does only depend on us in the final run is our performances and our results, so let's focus on that."