Arsenal regained the top spot in the Premier League on Saturday evening from rival Tottenham Hotspur. Mikel Arteta’s team booked the third win in a row and left Bournemouth completely without a chance: 0-3. Martin Ødegaard was the celebrated man with two hits and William Saliba scored his first for the Gunners. Only Manchester City is also still clear in England, but the Citizens will be in action on Sunday. At Bournemouth, a starting spot was reserved for Marcos Senesi.
The game was less than five minutes into the game when Gabriel Jesus caught it on his hips and dribbled into the penalty area. His superb pass to Gabriel Martinelli resulted in a shot that was blocked by Mark Travers with the feet. Ødegaard was in the right place and tapped in the 0-1. Five minutes later it was again the Norwegian who scored. Ben White crossed, Jesus didn’t take the ball very well and before he could shoot, Ødegaard did and scored. As White appeared to be offside, arbiter Craig Pawson was called to the replay screen by the VAR, but the goal stood.
The Londoners continued to dominate. After half an hour of play, they had 75 per cent possession, six shots on target and already made 196 successful passes, against 58 from Bournemouth and zero shots from the home side. However, the dominance no longer led to a great chance. It was only the second time since the 2008/09 season that a home side had not attempted a shot into the opposing team’s penalty area in the first half of a Premier League match. Both times, incidentally, this was in Bournemouth.
After the break, Arsenal picked up where they left off and within minutes the Londoners scored for the third time, this time through defender Saliba. He got the ball from Granit Xhaka shot it in one go from the edge of sixteen behind Travers. Let me think the Gunners to a fourth goal when Jesus completed a nice pass from Ødegaard. However, the Brazilian was offside, according to a check by the VAR.
Fifteen minutes before the end, Arteta made three substitutions: Takehiro Tomiyasu, Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe came in for Martinelli, White and Odegaard. Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore was still close to scoring, but Aaron Ramsdale made a nice save on his bet. A free kick by Marcus Tavernier sailed just wide. The home side continued to push, but Arsenal did not run into any more problems. Jesus almost found the net, but Travers did not allow a fourth London hit.
Arsenal will face fellow townspeople Fulham in the Premier League next week. The loss means for Bournemouth that they remain on three points and are just above the relegation zone.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | V | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | Fulham | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Brentford | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 6 | Newcastle United | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 7 | Leeds United | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | Chelsea | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 11 | Nottingham Forest | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
| 12 | Southampton | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 4 |
| 13 | Aston Villa | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 3 |
| 14 | AFC Bournemouth | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 3 |
| 15 | Liverpool | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Everton | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton W. | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| 18 | Leicester City | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 1 |
| 19 | West Ham United | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Manchester United | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 0 |