Arsenal raced into a 3-0 halftime lead when captain Odegaard was given acres of space - twice - by Chelsea's flimsy defence to score in the 18th and 31st minutes, and Gabriel Jesus converted from close-range 11 minutes before the break.
Arsenal's first win in five games took them to 78 points, two more than second-placed City - the reigning champions - who have the chance to reclaim top spot when they host West Ham United on Wednesday.
After losing to City 4-1 last week, Mikel Arteta made three changes, including giving striker Leandro Trossard a start in the place of Gabriel Martinelli and handing Jakub Kiwior his first league start in midfield.
His side dominated their slumping London rivals straight from the kick-off as they sought to shake off last week's potentially title-deciding setback.
Granit Xhaka, who provided assists for both Odegaard's strikes, almost opened the scoring himself in the opening minutes but he was thwarted by Kepa Arrizabalaga who went on to make saves in the second half that prevented an Arsenal rout.
"Everyone was so hurt after the game (against City)," Odegaard said after taking his league goal tally for the season to 14.
"We used the anger and the disappointment to get back into this game. You can lose games but the way we lost, we didn't play our game and weren't ourselves, that was the most painful thing, and we wanted to show a different side and we definitely did," the Norwegian told Sky Sports.
Chelsea lost for the sixth time in six games in all competitions since interim coach Frank Lampard replaced Graham Potter last month, a dismal run for a club who were crowned European champions as recently as two years ago.
But they at least managed to score only their second goal in eight games when Noni Madueke squeezed the ball past Aaron Ramsdale in the 65th minute for his first strike since signing from PSV Eindhoven in January.
Chelsea's U.S. owners, who have lavished over 500 million pounds (US$623 million) on players since buying the club almost a year ago, are expected to name former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino as their new permanent coach for next season.
No quick fix for Chelsea
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Chelsea manager Frank Lampard reacts - Premier League - Arsenal v Chelsea - Emirates Stadium, London, the UK - May 2, 2023. (Photo: Action Images via Reuters) |
Frank Lampard became the first English manager to lose 10 successive games in charge of a top-flight club for 35 years on Tuesday as his side succumbed 3-1 at Arsenal.
Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer has lost all six of his matches since returning to become interim manager in the wake of Graham Potter's sacking.
Having also lost his last four games in charge of Everton he has now matched the sequence Arthur Cox endured as Derby County manager in 1988, albeit with two different clubs.
Lampard could not have envisaged such a run when he returned to Stamford Bridge for a second stint in charge, having been sacked in January 2021.
He looked aghast on the touchline as Arsenal took advantage of Chelsea's flimsy defending to go 3-0 up after 34 minutes.
While the second half was marginally better, the scale of the job Chelsea's next permanent manager faces was spelt out by Lampard in his post-match assessment.
"From what this season tells you, from start to finish, we have to find the reasons quickly," he said.
"It's not an overnight fix. The main answer is simple. We have to do the basics better and then we'll get some progress.
"It's clear tonight for me. The first half is nowhere near good enough. But it's the reality. It's what I've come into."
It is easy to feel some sympathy for 44-year-old Lampard who has now won only one of his last 20 games as a manager.
Too many of Chelsea's expensively-assembled squad are under-performing and fans are openly questioning the commitment of some of them - a criticism refuted by Lampard.
"The players care, trust me. Chelsea fans may talk about players not caring but I don't believe it," he added.
"The lads want to do well but have to understand what that means every day, from training on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. How you prepare, maintain yourself.
"There can be a lot of reasons and some are very valid - players coming into the Premier League into a team that is having a difficult moment, it is not easy, this is the hardest league in the world.
"But there are some things that are the basics, they have to be better."
