Arsenal moved four points clear at the top of the Premier League table with an important 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday lunchtime.
Mikel Arteta’s men could have been out of sight at half-time but took a one-goal lead at the break after Bukayo Saka calmly converted a penalty in the 45th minute.
Leandro Trossard doubled Arsenal’s lead after the break and, despite some VAR controversy, Declan Rice added a third goal for the Gunners in stoppage time, giving the hosts three vital points in the title race.
How the game developed
Arsenal desperately needed another win to keep the pressure on reigning champions Manchester City in the title race and the hosts got off to a quick start at the Emirates Stadium, although they failed to convert their dominance into an early opener thanks to some fantastic Bournemouth blocks.
It wasn’t until the 13th minute that Arsenal finally tested Mark Travers through the in-form Kai Havertz. The German picked up a ball behind the Bournemouth defense and fired a left-footed shot towards goal, which was saved by the Irish stopper.
William Saliba and Saka were next to sting Travers’ palms with close-range shots, while Takehiro Tomiyasu also went close from a corner as Arsenal desperately pressed for the seemingly inevitable first goal of the game.
After Rice inexplicably missed the target from ten yards out, it appeared Arsenal would receive no reward for their impressive first-half performance. But Saka ensured they had a narrow lead at half-time by converting the penalty just before half-time after Travers touched Havertz’s back leg in the penalty area.
The early stages of the second half followed much of the same pattern as the first, with Arsenal controlling the game without fuss. Saka and Havertz put Travers to work again shortly after the restart, while Dominic Solanke forced David Raya into a rare save at the other end.
Bournemouth began to flex their attacking muscles as the second half progressed, but the Gunners put the game away with 20 minutes to play. Rice’s deft shot from the edge of the box gave Trossard the lead and the Belgian produced a typically calm side-footed strike to extend Arsenal’s lead.
The Cherries thought they had reduced the deficit moments after Trossard’s goal when Antoine Semenyo turned the ball over from a rebound off the Arsenal crossbar. However, referee David Coote disallowed the goal due to a foul on Raya in advance, and Andoni Iraola stood on the touchline in outrage because he sensed that Philip Billing had been fouled in the penalty area.
Arsenal’s Gabriel thought he had put the icing on the cake with an absolutely outstanding volley five minutes from time, but the offside flag prevented him from scoring the biggest goal of his career.
That didn’t matter, however, as Arsenal eventually secured third place in stoppage time when Rice fired a powerful shot past Travers into the goal, increasing the pressure on Man City ahead of their clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers later in the day.
TW: David Raya – 6/10 – He was a spectator for most of the game and was perhaps a little lucky when he picked up a foul in the build-up to Bournemouth’s second-half miss.
RB: Ben White – 7/10 – Some great runs beyond the Bournemouth defense and poor Dango Ouatarra couldn’t cope with his powerful sprints.
CB: William Saliba – 7/10 – For much of the game he passed to Solanke and remained largely quiet in the heart of the Arsenal defence.
CB: Gabriel – 5/10 – Solanke almost punished him for a weak moment at the start of the game, but his centre-back partner saved him. He made some rash decisions when facing the Bournemouth striker.
LB: Takehiro Tomiyasu – 7/10 – A tireless performance from the Japanese international, who regularly stormed up and down the left side.
CM: Martin Odegaard – 7/10 – The captain’s playmaking efforts helped Arsenal dominate in the final third and he created numerous chances for his teammates.
CM: Thomas Partey – 6/10 – Not his best performance, but he still helped Arsenal control the midfield and played a full 90 minutes.
CM: Declan Rice – 9/10 – He missed a great chance before half-time but was confident as the game progressed. He set up the decisive second goal with a great pass and netted late on to add even more sparkle to the result.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 7/10 – He took his high-pressure penalty with incredible composure and rolled the ball past Travers. His influence waned in the second half.
ST: Kai Havertz – 8/10 – Won the penalty before half-time and was a constant threat, with his positioning and good link-up play proving too much for the Cherries at times. Continued his brilliant form.
LW: Leandro Trossard – 7/10 – A generally quiet performance from Trossard up until his goal, but he handled his strike beautifully and finished the game.
Substitute
SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (81′ for Trossard) – 6/10
SUB: Gabriel Jesus (85′ for Foot) – N/A
Substitutes not used: Aaron Ramsdale (TW), Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jorginho, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah.
Manager
Mikel Arteta – 8/10 – A confident performance from his team, which dominated almost the entire game despite occasional luck. Despite Bournemouth’s pressure in the second half, they held their nerve.
TW: Mark Travers – 6/10 – He made some fantastic saves in the first half, but his stray tackle earned Arsenal a penalty before half-time. However, without him the result could have been much worse.
RB: Adam Smith – 6/10 – Largely unaffected by Trossard, but Arsenal’s second shot was a bit missed.
CB: Illia Zabarnyi – 6/10 – Like every member of Bournemouth’s defense, he put his body in the way of numerous Arsenal shots.
CB: Marcos Senesi – 7/10 – Came up with some crucial interventions to keep Arsenal out and wasn’t to blame for any of the goals.
LB: Dango Ouattara – 5/10 – It’s clear he’s not a left-back and it showed as Arsenal had their best moments on his flank. He was often caught napping defensively, but he was given the unenviable task of stopping Saka and White.
CM: Ryan Christie – 4/10 – Perhaps he was lucky to be on the pitch after his foul on Saka in the first half and could have picked up three or four yellow cards by the final whistle.
CM: Lewis Cook – 6/10 – However, a crucial tackle that denied Saka an easy goal failed to give the Cherries much control in the engine room.
RM: Antoine Semenyo – 6/10 – Offered some pace on the wing and will feel heavy if he didn’t end the game with a goal to his name.
AM: Alex Scott – 5/10 – Booked early for a late challenge and never recovered. A tame performance from the young midfielder.
LM: Justin Kluivert – 6/10 – Found his way into the game in the second half, but was unconventional in the finish.
ST: Dominic Solanke – 7/10 – Bournemouth’s main attacking threat with his raiding play and powerful runs, but he often remained too isolated to influence the game.
Substitute
SUB: Philip Billing (71′ for Scott) – 7/10
SUB: Enes Unal (79th for Senesi) – 6/10
SUB: Max Aarons (89′ for Smith) – N/A
Substitute: Romain Faivre (89th minute for Kluivert) – not available
Substitutes not used: Neto (TW), Callan McKenna (TW), James Hill, Maxwell Kinsey-Wellings, Dominic Sadi.
Manager
Andoni Iraola – 5/10 – A pretty poor performance from his team in the first half, but they were much better after the break. I’m a little sad about some of the decisions, even though Arsenal were clearly the better team.