Chelsea moved another step towards regaining the Premier League title with a 3-1 drubbing of Arsenal in the table-topping London derby at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as only Tottenham Hotspur maintained their distant pursuit of the leaders.
Antonio Conte's side moved 12 points clear of Arsenal with a performance decorated by one of the goals of the season, a dazzling individual effort from Eden Hazard starting from near the halfway line.
The 2015 champions' command at the top of the table was strengthened further with fourth-placed Liverpool falling 13 points adrift after their wretched 2017 continued with a shock 2-0 defeat at resurgent Hull City.
Only second-placed Spurs, the one team to have defeated Chelsea in their last 17 matches in all competitions, appear up for the fight, reducing the gap at the top to nine points with their 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in the day's late match.
Hull's win over Liverpool saw them clamber up one place to 18th in the relegation zone while another startling result featured Crystal Palace, who lost 4-0 at home to bottom club Sunderland, with all the goals coming in the first half.
Conte was a satisfied man as he watched Chelsea avenge their worst defeat of the season in September at the Emirates, the 3-0 reverse that prompted him to change their tactical approach.
The Blues have never looked back since and an early header from Marcos Alonso, the dazzling second-half solo goal from Hazard and a poor clearance from Petr Cech that allowed Cesc Fabregas to chip into an unguarded net in the dying minutes sealed their revenge.
Chelsea's Marcos Alonso celebrates scoring their first goal
Reuters Hazard's goal was, by his own admission, "beautiful". The Belgian picked up the ball just inside his own half, swerved away from Laurent Koscielny, outmuscled Francis Coquelin and turned Koscielny inside out again before beating Cech from close range.
Olivier Giroud earned a stoppage-time consolation goal but a fourth defeat in nine league matches effectively ended Arsenal's title hopes for another season as they now lie third on 47 points, after 24 games, to Chelsea's 59.
Liverpool's defeat looked to have ended their challenge too as Juergen Klopp's men succumbed to goals from Hull's on-loan Senegalese strikers, Alfred N'Diaye and Oumar Niasse.
It continued a woeful run for the Reds in 2017, who have won just once in their last 10 games, leaving a baffled Klopp to suggest their slump made "no sense".
Liverpool's Sadio Mane in action with Hull City's Harry Maguire
Reuters Tottenham, though, appear to continue to believe as they stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to 14 games and hit the half-century of points, with Harry Kane's second-half penalty earning victory in a game they dominated but made heavy weather of sealing at White Hart Lane.
Sunderland's Jermain Defoe scored twice in first-half stoppage time as he turned Sam Allardyce's reunion with his former club into a nightmare, the Palace boss having to watch his side ship three goals in six minutes before the break.
Sunderland remain bottom on 19 points but now have the same tally as Palace, one behind Hull, who are making dramatic strides under new Portuguese boss Marco Silva.
Everton, unbeaten in the league since Christmas, continued their excellent run with Romelu Lukaku scoring four in their helter-skelter 6-3 win over Bournemouth, his first coming after just 30 seconds to equal the fastest in the League this season.
Everton's Romelu Lukaku scores their fifth goal
Reuters The Belgian international striker is now the league's leading marksman with 16 goals with Chelsea's Costa and Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez on 15 and Kane and Defoe on 14 along with Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
RESULTS:Tottenham Hotspur 1 Harry Kane 58(pen)
Middlesbrough 0Hull City 2 N'Diaye 44, Niasse 84
Liverpool 0Southampton 1 Gabbiadini 12
West Ham United 3 Carroll 14, Obiang 44, Mark Noble 52
Watford 2 Troy Deeney 10, M'Baye Niang 45+2
Burnley 1 Ashley Barnes 78pen
Everton 6 Lukaku 1,29,83,84, McCarthy 24, Ross Barkley 90+4
Bournemouth 3 King 59,70, Harry Arter 90
Crystal Palace 0 Sunderland 4 Kone 9, Dider Ndong 43, Defoe 45+1,45+3
West Bromwich Albion 1 James Morrison 6
Stoke City 0Chelsea 3 Alonso 13, Hazard 53, Fabregas 85
Arsenal 1 Giroud 90+1
Standings P W D L F A
Pts1
Chelsea 24 19 2 3 51 17
592
Tottenham Hotspur 24 14 8 2 46 16
503
Arsenal 24 14 5 5 52 28
474
Liverpool 24 13 7 4 52 30
465
Manchester City 23 14 4 5 47 28
466
Manchester United 23 11 9 3 33 21
427
Everton 24 11 7 6 40 27
408
West Bromwich Albion 24 10 6 8 32 29
369
West Ham United 24 9 4 11 32 41
3110
Watford 24 8 6 10 29 40
3011
Stoke City 24 7 8 9 29 36
2912
Burnley 24 9 2 13 26 35
2913
Southampton 24 7 6 11 24 31
2714
Bournemouth 24 7 5 12 35 47
2615
Middlesbrough 24 4 9 11 19 27
2116
Leicester City 23 5 6 12 24 38
2117
Swansea City 23 6 3 14 28 52
2118
Hull City 24 5 5 14 22 47
2019
Crystal Palace 24 5 4 15 32 45
1920
Sunderland 24 5 4 15 24 42
19 
Chelsea's Marcos Alonso celebrates scoring their first goal Reuters Hazard's goal was, by his own admission, "beautiful". The Belgian picked up the ball just inside his own half, swerved away from Laurent Koscielny, outmuscled Francis Coquelin and turned Koscielny inside out again before beating Cech from close range.
Olivier Giroud earned a stoppage-time consolation goal but a fourth defeat in nine league matches effectively ended Arsenal's title hopes for another season as they now lie third on 47 points, after 24 games, to Chelsea's 59.
Liverpool's defeat looked to have ended their challenge too as Juergen Klopp's men succumbed to goals from Hull's on-loan Senegalese strikers, Alfred N'Diaye and Oumar Niasse.
It continued a woeful run for the Reds in 2017, who have won just once in their last 10 games, leaving a baffled Klopp to suggest their slump made "no sense".
Liverpool's Sadio Mane in action with Hull City's Harry Maguire Reuters Tottenham, though, appear to continue to believe as they stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to 14 games and hit the half-century of points, with Harry Kane's second-half penalty earning victory in a game they dominated but made heavy weather of sealing at White Hart Lane.
Sunderland's Jermain Defoe scored twice in first-half stoppage time as he turned Sam Allardyce's reunion with his former club into a nightmare, the Palace boss having to watch his side ship three goals in six minutes before the break.
Sunderland remain bottom on 19 points but now have the same tally as Palace, one behind Hull, who are making dramatic strides under new Portuguese boss Marco Silva.
Everton, unbeaten in the league since Christmas, continued their excellent run with Romelu Lukaku scoring four in their helter-skelter 6-3 win over Bournemouth, his first coming after just 30 seconds to equal the fastest in the League this season.
Everton's Romelu Lukaku scores their fifth goal Reuters The Belgian international striker is now the league's leading marksman with 16 goals with Chelsea's Costa and Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez on 15 and Kane and Defoe on 14 along with Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic.RESULTS:Tottenham Hotspur 1 Harry Kane 58(pen) Middlesbrough 0Hull City 2 N'Diaye 44, Niasse 84 Liverpool 0Southampton 1 Gabbiadini 12 West Ham United 3 Carroll 14, Obiang 44, Mark Noble 52Watford 2 Troy Deeney 10, M'Baye Niang 45+2 Burnley 1 Ashley Barnes 78penEverton 6 Lukaku 1,29,83,84, McCarthy 24, Ross Barkley 90+4 Bournemouth 3 King 59,70, Harry Arter 90Crystal Palace 0 Sunderland 4 Kone 9, Dider Ndong 43, Defoe 45+1,45+3West Bromwich Albion 1 James Morrison 6 Stoke City 0Chelsea 3 Alonso 13, Hazard 53, Fabregas 85 Arsenal 1 Giroud 90+1Standings P W D L F A Pts1 Chelsea 24 19 2 3 51 17 592 Tottenham Hotspur 24 14 8 2 46 16 503 Arsenal 24 14 5 5 52 28 474 Liverpool 24 13 7 4 52 30 465 Manchester City 23 14 4 5 47 28 466 Manchester United 23 11 9 3 33 21 427 Everton 24 11 7 6 40 27 408 West Bromwich Albion 24 10 6 8 32 29 369 West Ham United 24 9 4 11 32 41 3110 Watford 24 8 6 10 29 40 3011 Stoke City 24 7 8 9 29 36 2912 Burnley 24 9 2 13 26 35 2913 Southampton 24 7 6 11 24 31 2714 Bournemouth 24 7 5 12 35 47 2615 Middlesbrough 24 4 9 11 19 27 2116 Leicester City 23 5 6 12 24 38 2117 Swansea City 23 6 3 14 28 52 2118 Hull City 24 5 5 14 22 47 2019 Crystal Palace 24 5 4 15 32 45 1920 Sunderland 24 5 4 15 24 42 19 