Cazorla eased the pressure on under-fire Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger as the Spanish midfielder's double clinched a crucial 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.
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Wenger had faced renewed calls for his resignation after last weekend's embarrassing FA Cup exit against second-tier Blackburn and the midweek Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich only added to the impression of a club spiralling out of control.
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In the circumstances anything but a victory against struggling Villa would have given Wenger's critics more ammunition to attack the Frenchman, so there was a sense of relief all around the Emirates Stadium when Cazorla bagged the winner with five minutes remaining.
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Until then Arsenal had laboured to kill off third bottom Villa, who recovered from Cazorla's first half opener to equalise through Andreas Weimann after the break.
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Cazorla's efforts moved Arsenal within one point of fourth placed Tottenham, although their north London rivals can reopen a four-point advantage if they beat West Ham on Monday.
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Arsenal certainly started as if they had a point to prove. Within minutes of kick-off, Jack Wilshere forcefully got on the end of a misplaced Joe Bennett pass to bring a fine save from Brad Guzan.
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Only moments later, in the sixth minute, Wenger's men took the lead when Cazorla had a shot blocked and then immediately collected the loose ball and guided his shot around Guzan.
arsene wenger shouldn't be relaxed yet, he might still be sacked