Cesc Fabregas scored twice to send Arsenal second in the Premier League, four points behind Chelsea but with a game in hand, after brushing aside Aston Villa 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium today.

Stuttering Chelsea had dropped precious points on Saturday when they failed to score for the first time in 34 games and were held to a 0-0 draw at Birmingham City at the start of a hectic holiday programme.

With champions Manchester United at Hull City later today, Arsenal moved at least temporarily up to second place with 38 points. United have 37 while Chelsea are on 42.

With the third and fourth placed sides deadlocked at half-time, Fabregas came on as a second half substitute and fired up the Londoners title challenge with two goals in 16 minutes.

The Spaniard had only been in the pitch for little more than seven minutes when he broke the ice, winning a free kick on the edge of the area in the 65th after being downed by Richard Dunne.

The perfectly-flighted free kick from 25 metres out cut through the wall and curled into the top corner past Brad Freidel's outstretched hand.

Returning after a hanstring injury, Fabregas then bagged his ninth league goal of the season in the 81st after beign fed through by Theo Walcott.

Abou Diaby made it 3-0 for rampant Arsenal in the 90th minute when he muscled through the midfield and fired a low shot past Friedel.

Villa, who had won the same fixture 2-0 last season, had hoped to push their Champions League credentials by completing a 'grand slam' and becoming the first club since Leeds United in 1994/95 to beat all of the big four in a single season.