By Olukayode Olumuyiwa.
Arsenal’s relentless pursuit of the Premier League title gathered even more momentum on Saturday as a Declan Rice brace inspired the Gunners to a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Bournemouth. The win marks Arsenal’s fifth successive league triumph and extends their provisional lead at the summit of the table to a commanding six points.
A Rare Shaky Start and Defensive Woes
The evening began with a sense of opportunity for Mikel Arteta’s side, playing ahead of rivals Manchester City. However, that message appeared to be lost on defender Gabriel Magalhães early on. In a moment of high drama and “calamitous” decision-making, Gabriel attempted a risky pass across the edge of his own penalty area. The pass was clinicaly intercepted by Bournemouth’s Evanilson, who had the simplest of tasks to stroke the ball into an empty net.
Redemption, however, was swift. Gabriel made amends for his earlier blunder by popping up at the far post to slam a finish into the roof of the net, bringing the Gunners back on level terms.
Despite the equalizer, Arsenal struggled to find their rhythm in a grueling first half. The “festive period” fatigue seemed to take its toll as Bournemouth, led by the energetic Justin Kluivert, Marcus Tavernier, and Evanilson, took the fight to the visitors. Kluivert came inches away from restoring the lead with a 30-yard free-kick that whistled just wide of David Raya’s post.
The Rice Show
The second half saw a different Arsenal emerge. Asserting their dominance early, it took less than ten minutes for the Gunners to take the lead for the first time. A slick, swift attacking move saw captain Martin Ødegaard tee up Declan Rice, who swept a composed finish home from the edge of the area.
With 20 minutes remaining, Arteta turned to his bench, and the tactical change paid immediate dividends. Bukayo Saka, introduced in a triple substitution, burst behind the Cherries’ defense and cut the ball back perfectly for Rice to tuck home his second of the night, seemingly putting the game out of reach at 3-1.
A Spirited Fightback
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola also saw his tactical changes bear fruit. Substitute Eli Junior Kroupi hammered home a strike from the edge of the area to halve the deficit, setting up a’ nervy finale for the league leaders.
The “Cherries” pushed and probed relentlessly in the closing stages, but they found a “dogged” Arsenal defense unwilling to break. The victory leaves Bournemouth in a precarious position, with their winless run now stretching to 11 matches as they continue an alarming slide down the Premier League table.
Galaxy Sports Production
Should we send you latest update about your favourite sports and team?
Enter you email in the box below and hit the subscribe button to join our teaming 876+ sports community.
