Arsenal made a huge statement in the Premier League title race as they came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-2 on Saturday.
The Cherries took a shock lead in the 11th minute at the Vitality Stadium as Gabriel inexplicably gifted the ball to compatriot Evanilson, who was left with a simple finish beyond the scrambling David Raya.
However, Gabriel quickly made amends, with the centre-back firing home from close range after some excellent work down the right from Noni Madueke.
The second half was all about Declan Rice, who dispatched two accomplished finishes beyond Djordje Petrovic to seal all three points for Arsenal. Eli Junior Kroupi fired home a wonderful strike from the edge of the box in the 77th minute to pull Bournemouth back into the game, but it turned out to be nothing more than a consolation as Mikel Arteta’s men held on.
Declan Rice steps up for Arsenal
To win a league title, you need your biggest characters to stand up in key moments, and Declan Rice certainly fits that bill.
The England international has been immense pretty much all season for the Gunners, but he may have had the biggest say yet in the title race here.
Rice popped up in the second half with not one but two hugely accomplished finishes, side-footing the ball beyond Petrovic with ultimate composure.
The goals were just the tip of the iceberg as Rice put in a true leader’s performance, completing 49 of his 58 passes — including seven into the final third — while making three tackles, eight recoveries and three clearances.
It’s the first time Rice has ever registered a brace in his career, and he picked the perfect time as Arsenal battled to overcome a stubborn Bournemouth team and, at least temporarily, go six points clear at the top of the league.
Martin Odegaard masterclass
While Rice provided the big moments, it was Martin Odegaard who was the spark in the Arsenal midfield, and the Norwegian simply must be given the credit he deserves.
Odegaard showed superb vision and awareness to lay the ball off to Rice for Arsenal’s second goal, despite his teammate making a run that started far behind him and out of his peripheral line of sight.
That was Odegaard’s third direct goal involvement in as many games after he opened the scoring in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Brighton and assisted their second in the 4-1 thrashing of title rivals Aston Villa.
But the former Real Madrid man wasn’t done there, slicing the Bournemouth defence open with a perfect through-ball to feed Bukayo Saka, who put it on a plate for Rice to bag his second of the evening.
Odegaard lasted 80 minutes on the South Coast, which he used to play 15 passes into the final third and win four of his seven ground duels, while nobody managed to dispossess him.
It was yet another creative masterclass from the Arsenal captain.
Arsenal throw down the gauntlet in title race
Given how hard Bournemouth pushed them, this is a huge three points for Arsenal, who have not only responded to Aston Villa’s comfortable win over Nottingham Forest earlier in the day, but also thrown down the gauntlet to Manchester City, who host Chelsea on Sunday.
| # | Team | PL | W | D | L | +/- | GD | PTS |
| 1 | Arsenal | 20 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 40-14 | +26 | 48 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 33-24 | +9 | 42 |
| 3 | Man City | 19 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 43-17 | +26 | 41 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 19 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 30-26 | +4 | 33 |
Arsenal are, for now, six points clear at the top and building momentum fast, winning each of their five Premier League games since losing 2-1 at Villa in early December.
This is the only time the Gunners have conceded more than once in a single game during that run, while the 1-0 win away at Everton was the only time they failed to score at least two goals.
Arteta is getting things right at both ends of the pitch, and the stage is now set as Arsenal host defending champions Liverpool on Thursday — where they can make the ultimate statement.