London, January 1: Arsenal started 2019 with a morale-boosting win following their hammering at the hands of Liverpool, recording a 4-1 triumph over struggling Fulham at Emirates Stadium.
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A visit from the Premier League's 19th-placed side offered welcome respite for Unai Emery's side after their 5-1 reverse at Anfield, though they did not have it all their own way before Granit Xhaka's 25th-minute opener.
The recalled Alexandre Lacazette doubled the Gunners' lead early in the second half, though Fulham halved the deficit with a tap-in from substitute Aboubakar Kamara after 69 minutes.
However, it was an Arsenal replacement who finished off Fulham's hopes of picking up a point, Aaron Ramsey converting a rebound after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had hit a post, though the latter did score his 14th league goal of the campaign in the closing minutes, putting him one clear of Mohamed Salah in the scoring charts.
Jamie Vardy punished a tired Everton performance as Leicester City won 1-0 at Goodison Park on New Year's Day.
The Premier League looked set to make a sleepy start to 2019, with both sides stuttering until Leicester pounced on a Michael Keane error and the previously anonymous Vardy struck.
Everton and Leicester have each struggled with inconsistency in recent weeks - contrasting lofty highs with harrowing lows - and this was another tough day for the Toffees, who scarcely looked like responding to the 58th-minute setback.
Marco Silva and Claude Puel will likely welcome the opportunity to rest key men in the FA Cup this weekend after a gruelling festive period, but Everton have work to do if they are to join seventh-placed Leicester in a challenge for a top-six place.
Both sides laboured early on, with several passes going astray, but Jonjoe Kenny almost netted the opener after 19 minutes as a thunderous drive struck the apex of post and crossbar.
Some rugged Leicester defending continued to prevent Everton from building any real momentum heading into half-time and the two teams were instead limited to speculative efforts from distance.
The breakthrough goal predictably followed a defensive error shortly before the hour mark as Keane's sloppy touch gifted the ball to Ricardo Pereira, who slipped in Vardy for a clinical left-footed finish.
Jordan Pickford, criticised for high-profile mistakes in December, almost gifted Leicester a second with a near-post fumble, before Harry Maguire volleyed over at close range, and the visitors cruised through the closing stages.