Arsenal maintained their winning streak in the Premier League with a 3-0 victory over a resilient Bournemouth side at the Emirates Stadium. The Cherries made life difficult for Mikel Arteta’s side, but the Premier League’s table toppers managed to secure the three points.
Arsenal had plenty of chances in the first half, having 16 efforts to be exact, but Bournemouth were resilient, making 13 clearances as per Sofascore, and preventing the Gunners from finding the back of the net for most of the first half.
It took a Bukayo Saka penalty, won contentiously by Kai Havertz, to break the deadlock, with the England international slotting it cooly into the back of the net. Bournemouth grew into the game in the second half and had six shots of their own, but failed to capitalise.
Arsenal scored a second thanks to a tidy finish from Leandro Trossard, which was assisted well by Declan Rice, before the latter man went on to score a third for his side in the seventh minute of added time to get a vital three points for the Gunners.
There were performances from two Arsenal players in particular that made a huge difference, as they look to keep momentum in an uphill battle for the Premier League.
Declan Rice's stats vs Bournemouth
The first of those two players was Rice, who became Arsenal’s record transfer when he joined from West Ham for £105m. The 25-year-old has been in superb form for his new side this season, and out in a magnificent performance once again against Bournemouth.
Rice played a more advanced role again, with Thomas Partey sitting behind him and Martin Odegaard, screening the back four. Having a licence to get forward meant Rice was able to impact the game in the final third more often, creating three chances and registering a goal and assist.
Not only that, he completed two out of three dribbles, won three ground duels and won his sole tackle of the match. It was a dominant performance from the England international. Football.London’s chief Arsenal writer Kaya Kaynak gave Rice an 8/10 for his performance against Bournemouth, explaining how his assist came at a 'crucial time' for the Gunners.
It is certainly a good spell of form that Rice keeps building upon, with his latest performance against Bournemouth one of many impressive showings in recent weeks. These types of displays at vital at the business end of the season, especially in a title race.
Kai Havertz's stats vs Bournemouth
As good as Rice’s performance was on Saturday, Havertz was arguably better, and whilst he did not score or assist, the former Chelsea man certainly made a major contribution, including winning the penalty which Saka proceeded to score.
Eduardo Hagn over on X explained how Arsenal play much better with Havertz in the side, explaining the German is “a nightmare to defend and he never hides away”. This is certainly reflected in his match stats.
Havertz created two big chances against the Cherries, but it was off the ball he really excelled. Arsenal’s number 29 won eight out of his nine contested ground duels, all four of the tackles he attempted, and four aerial duels, winning 12 duels in total. He was a menace off the ball and led the line superbly for Arteta’s side.
Like Rice, the German international also received an 8/10 rating from Kaynak, where he described his performance as 'sublime'. He then went on to describe how Havertz 'constantly ran in behind to cause Bournemouth problems'.
It was a superb showing from Havertz, who has really found his feet at the Emirates Stadium of late. He has 13 goals and assists in his last 12 Premier League games, and is becoming a pivotal player under Arteta.
It is fair to say he has found form at the perfect time, given the tight situation of the title race at the minute.
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