Full-time: Arsenal 4 Newcastle United 1

AYOZE PEREZ enhanced his rapidly rising reputation with another Premier League goal at the Emirates, but that was not enough for Newcastle United to stop Arsenal in their tracks.

The Gunners were in confident mood going forward and made the most of plenty of gaps in the Magpies defence to claim a victory which keeps the heat on West Ham and Southampton for a top four spot.

Newcastle, who had started the day level on points with Arsene Wenger’s men, never looked like returning to the North-East with three points just a week after stunning leaders Chelsea at St James’ Park.

Frenchman Olivier Giroud scored one in the first half and added a second shortly after the break, while Santi Cazorla found the net in between to give Arsenal a healthy three-goal lead. Cazorla added a fourth with a cheeky penalty two minutes from time.

Even though Perez hit his fourth goal since moving from Tenerife in the summer after the third, Newcastle were unable to turn the heat up further on Wenger after a frustrating start to Arsenal’s domestic campaign.

Alan Pardew will look to lift his players ahead of Wednesday night’s Capital One Cup final quarter-final at Arsenal’s neighbours Tottenham, just days before next Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby with Sunderland at St James’.

After winning six of their previous eight league games, Newcastle arrived in North London full of confidence and intent on repeating the victory over Chelsea.

However, Arsenal, buoyed by a blistering Champions League midweek win in Istanbul, started in rampant mood and caused problems every time they attacked.

Goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, one of four changes for the visitors, had to look on nervously as an early Alexis Sanchez corner was flicked against his crossbar by Per Mertesacker.

Sanchez was a constant menace before and after the opening goal and he was the architect when Arsenal took the lead after quarter of an hour.

The Chilean was fed the ball down the right after Yoan Gouffran had failed to control a poor pass in to his feet on half way from Fabricio Coloccini. Sanchez had the option of opting for the easy ball back to the full-back, but instead clipped a delivery in to the penalty area.

Giroud, charging late in to the box, timed his run perfectly to meet the cross with a lovely header high in to Alnwick’s top left corner. There were question marks over the marking, although the biggest mistake had been to gift possession to the Gunners earlier in the move.

After that another clever Sanchez chip, this time through the heart of the defence, created an opening for Danny Welbeck, whose sliding volley bounced inches wide of Alnwick’s far post.

There was a decent shout for handball later in the half, when Welbeck found himself in his own box caught out by a ball dropping in his direction, and Newcastle had one fantastic opportunity to level.

Mike Williamson saw his downward header from Jack Colback’s free-kick well saved by Wojciech Szczesny, who was then in the right place on the line to thwart Papiss Cisse’s rebound too.

That was a rare occasion when Szczesny was tested and Newcastle were made to pay when Arsenal were three goals up inside the first 12 minutes of the second half.

The second came in the 54th minute when Sanchez cruised inside and picked out Cazorla. The little Spaniard’s touch took him away from Coloccini and his second was a sublime chip inside Alnwick’s far post.

And four minutes later it was three. Hector Bellerin had far too much space down the right to pick out his man. He drilled in a low delivery and Giroud’s arrival at the near post was followed by a first time flick over Alnwick.

Perez raised slender hope of an unlikely comeback by brilliantly heading in another Colback free-kick five minutes later, but Arsenal kept creating chances and could have increased their lead.

Newcastle pushed on in the closing stages but could not muster a way back and Arsenal completed the win when Cazorla cheekily chipped in a fourth from the spot after Welbeck had been brought down by Paul Dummett.

ARSENAL (4-1-4-1): Szczesny; Bellerin, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Gibbs; Flamini; Alexis (Coquelin 87), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Maitland-Niles 90), Cazorla, Welbeck; Giroud (Podolski 73). Subs (not used): Sanogo, Martinez (gk), Campbell, Ajayi.

NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-2-3-1): Alnwick; Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett; Colback, Tiote; Perez (Armstrong 82), Ameobi (Cabella 55), Gouffran; Cisse (Riviere 55). Subs (not used): Anita, Haidara, Vuckic, Woodman (gk).