Arsenal survived a few heart-in-mouth moments to record a thrilling 4-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion and go seven points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard both struck for the dominant Gunners in the first half before Eddie Nketiah added a third early into the second period, but Kaoru Mitoma soon gave Brighton a glimmer of hope.
Gabriel Martinelli's fourth for Arsenal did not quell the improving Seagulls, who threatened a stunning late turnaround through Evan Ferguson and saw another goal for Mitoma disallowed, but the Gunners held on to enter 2023 with an eye-catching lead at the summit.
With Brighton unbeaten in three previous games with Arsenal and winning each of their last two, optimism may have been present among the Amex faithful before kickoff, but Saka silenced the home crowd after just 66 seconds.
After Thomas Partey won the ball back in midfield, Levi Colwill failed to properly clear Martinelli's deflected effort, and Saka was on hand at the back post to take a touch and side-foot home with aplomb.
It took a terrific save from Robert Sanchez to deny Oleksandr Zinchenko doubling Arsenal's lead in the fourth minute following a beautiful turn from the Ukrainian, but Brighton soon started to enjoy the bulk of possession.
Mikel Arteta's men seemed content to let the Seagulls knock the ball around, but the hosts rarely stretched the Gunners backline in the absence of Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo.
Forever posing a threat in the final third, Arsenal would add the insurance goal in the 39th minute, as Billy Gilmour cleared Saka's corner straight to the silky Odegaard, who fired a half-volley into the ground and watched the ball sail into the top corner.
De Zerbi's half-time team talk could not prevent lightning from striking twice on the South Coast, as Arsenal put the cherry on the icing on the cake just one minute and 46 seconds after the restart.
Nketiah did not quite match Saka's 75-second opener, but the 23-year-old produced a goal which typified his poacher's qualities, reacting quickest to prod home after Sanchez failed to hold onto Martinelli's powerful strike from a tight angle.
There was very little New Year's joy around the Amex, but a flicker of hope arrived from a likely source in the 65th minute, as Brighton carved through the Arsenal midfield and Pascal Gross played through Mitoma, who just about stayed onside and coolly slotted home into the bottom corner.
The atmosphere was briefly lifted across the South Coast, but any faint hopes of a Seagulls comeback were ostensibly extinguished just six minutes after Mitoma's strike, as Odegaard produced one of the passes of the season from inside his own half to release Martinelli, who fended off the attention of Tariq Lamptey and finished through Sanchez's legs in front of the away end.
However, De Zerbi's side were not giving up the ghost and were helped by an atrocious piece of defending from William Saliba, who tried to shield the ball back to Aaron Ramsdale but lost out to Ferguson, and the Brighton substitute scored the game's sixth goal from a few yards out in the 77th minute.
Mitoma thought he had set up a nerve-wracking finale with his second in the 89th minute after pouncing on a loose ball, but the Japan attacker was coming back from an offside position after receiving the ball from Ferguson, and elation turned to despair for those in blue and white.
With Man City being held to a draw by Everton earlier on New Year's Eve, Arsenal have extended their lead over the champions before they tackle Newcastle United on Tuesday, while Brighton remain eighth ahead of their showdown with the Toffees in three days' time. body check tags ::
