Arsenal gained ground on leaders Manchester United with a 3-1 victory at Blackpool.
Some poor control robbed Robin van Persie the chance of grabbing an early lead, but there was no such mistake from Abou Diaby as he met a van Persie delivery into the box to score after 18 minutes.
The Gunners doubled their advantage just three minutes later when Emmanuel Eboue surged forward and fired past Richard Kingson, and Samir Nasri twice went close to making it three as he forced a decent save from Blackpool goalkeeper before clattering the upright with another chance.
A much-improved Blackpool started the second half brightly and Luke Varney diverted a Charlie Adam free-kick off-target before they pulled one back on 52 minutes.
Jack Wilshere and Jens Lehmann both committed fouls in the build up to the goal but referee Lee Mason played advantage, and Gary Taylor-Fletcher made the most of his chance to fire home.
Any good will Mason received for that decision soon evaporated as he waved away appeals for a penalty after Laurent Koscielny appeared to trip Taylor-Fletcher in the penalty area.
Keith Southern then headed wide with the goal at his mercy as Arsenal reeled, but they soon went back on the offensive and van Persie twice failed to hit the target before finally restoring his team’s two-goal advantage following good work from Theo Walcott.
Blackpool launched one more rally but Jens Lehmann, a late replacement for injured Manuel Almunia before kick-off, saved well from DJ Campbell as the Gunners ensured they closed the gap between them and Manchester United to seven points.