Goals from Tomas Rosicky, Cesc Fabregas and Julio Baptista were enough to claim the points. DaMarcus Beasley netted for the visitors, who faded in the end after a bright start.
With Manchester City's Premiership status assured, the Gunners could have been justified in thinking their bid to cement their place in next season's Champions League would have met with token resistance. Not the case, at least in the first half.
Stuart Pearce's players, who have the best defensive record outside the top five, looked to be making a game of it. Tough exchanges and counter-attacking football looked to be frustrating Arsene Wenger's side.
Everything changed after 12 minutes when the home side opened the scoring through make-shift striker Rosicky. The Czech international caught City right-back Nedum Onuoha napping and stole in front of him to re-direct Emmanuel Eboue's cross from the right beyond Andreas Isaksson.
It was a carbon copy of Rosicky's goal against Bolton three days earlier and Pearce was visibly upset with the slack defending.
The Gunners were enjoying the rare luxury of scoring first. Arsenal were virtually camped in the City half. One attack followed another and Fabregas went closest with a shot just after the half-hour that had Isaksson stretching.
Then, without explanation, Arsenal slowed the pace of the game down. That encouraged Manchester City who began to express themselves in the Arsenal area.
Four minutes before half-time, Michael Johnson capitalised on Jens Lehmann's mis-kicked clearance, then under challenge from Kolo Toure on the left side of the Arsenal area, he managed to stab a pass to Beasley who had made an overlapping run into the penalty area.
The American attacker took the ball on a yard before slotting beyond the Gunners keeper to level the scores.
Arsenal continued to have the lion's share of possession after the re-start, but never really looked threatening.
It was City's Joey Barton who had the first notable effort of the second half with a shot from the edge of the area that flew straight into the arms of a nervous looking Lehmann just after the hour.
The Gunners then increased the pressure with Alex Hleb and Emmanuel Adebayor shooting wide on 64 minutes.
The Arsenal striker came close to putting his side back in the lead twice within the next five minutes. The Togo international had a goal-bound shot blocked, then rose to direct a header powerfully towards goal that Isaksson performed wonders to parry to safety.
The breakthrough eventually came through Fabregas, who, like Rosicky made it two in two games with a dipping shot from the right edge of the area that the City keeper could not get near.
Substitute Baptista put his side in the comfort zone in the 80th minute when scoring with a low shot from a central position inside the area from Hleb's pass from the right.
Georgios Samaras should have reduced the arrears on 87 minutes when seizing on a mis-judgement by Toure, but he placed his shot wide of the target with just Lehmann to beat.
That was the last chance for the visitors as Arsenal cruised to the final whistle to claim all the points and move back to third spot in the Premiership.