Declan Rice drives Arsenal past Bournemouth to maintain title push
Declan Rice scores Arsenal’s third goal against Bournemouth. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters
Mikel Arteta had wanted something less stressful than Arsenal’s previous home win over Bournemouth and he got his wish. In March of last year, his team had needed a 97th-minute Reiss Nelson goal to complete a wild 3-2 victory from 2-0 down. Here there was glory in the general sense of comfort and control, Arsenal moving to 83 points, still asking the question of the defending champions, Manchester City, who kick-off against Wolves at 5.30pm.
It was not entirely straightforward; it rarely is. Arsenal caught a break at 2-0 up when an Antoine Semenyo goal was disallowed on the advice of the VAR for a foul by Dominic Solanke on the goalkeeper, David Raya.
Solanke looked to have done rather less than, say, Ben White does to opposing goalkeepers on corners; the centre-forward stood his ground, Raya’s weak punch being volleyed back against the crossbar by Ryan Christie before Semenyo put it in. Bournemouth were flabbergasted.
A goal then might have made it interesting. As it was, Arsenal eased home and deservedly so. A debatable Bukayo Saka penalty had been scant reward for their first-half dominance and, if in-form Bournemouth were more threatening after the interval, they were second best overall.
Arsenal did score again in the 97th minute but this time it was merely the gloss from Declan Rice on both an excellent individual performance and the scoreline. Leandro Trossard had got Arsenal’s second and they intend to finish with two more wins – against Manchester United and Everton – to take them to 89 points; one shy of the tally of the Invincibles from 2003-04. Will it be enough to match their title-winning achievement?
Arteta’s plan was to watch the City game afterwards and it was fun to imagine him pulling on a Wolves shirt, sipping on a pint of Banks’s, singing for the Old Gold. He had said on Friday that in his “heart and soul” he was hoping for a City slip. His focus of the day, though, was only here, on doing what he and Arsenal needed to do.
Bournemouth presented a challenge, particularly with Semenyo having made a Lazarus-like recovery from the injury he suffered against Brighton last Sunday. Carried off on a stretcher, Andoni Iraola said then that it looked bad. Semenyo was able to take his place on the right wing of the manager’s 4-3-3 formation.
It is not just the Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, who does not like 12.30 pm kick-offs. They are just too early. Yet Arsenal roared out of the blocks, doing everything right at the outset. They were physical, squeezing high, giving Bournemouth no time on the ball. And they were slick when they had it, their movements so sharp. The Bournemouth goalkeeper, Mark Travers, was put on notice that he was in for a busy game.
Bournemouth’s defenders threw themselves in front of shots; four times inside the opening ten minutes and plenty more after that. The first half-hour was akin to a siege; Travers prominent. His best save during that period was to keep out a Takehiro Tomiyasu header at the far post following a corner. There were others, the block from William Saliba and the plunge to his right to push away a Thomas Partey curler worthy of mention. Arsenal could also point to a wayward Partey shot when he had been well placed
Bournemouth barely crossed halfway in the first-half, although Arsenal did need Saliba to make a important tackle on Solanke in the 18th minute after an error by Gabriel Magalhães.
Arsenal’s patience and composure was tested, especially after Rice lashed wide on 38 minutes after a headed set-up by Havertz. Rice had waited too long, allowing the ball to bounce twice. Was it going to be one of those days?
Arsenal did not believe that, not with Martin Ødegaard pulling the strings like a master puppeteer, not with Saka shrugging off knocks – including a studs-up tackle from Ryan Christie in the 11th minute that was somehow deemed to be unworthy of a card – to go again and again.
The penalty was soft. Kai Havertz simply bought it, having run onto an Ødegaard pass and seen Travers commit himself. Havertz waited for the contact, leaving his trailing leg in to feel it and, when it was there, over he went. Travers had played with fire with the challenge. Saka’s conversion from the spot was prefaced by a stutter.
Havertz’s first touch was so easy on the eye; ditto his gamboling style. He shimmered with menace, teeing up Saka at the start of the second-half; the winger shot weakly at Travers when he had to score.
Arsenal needed a second goal because Bournemouth dug out a foothold in the second-half, Solanke working Raya from a tight angle after Ødegaard had been robbed. Bournemouth sensed opportunity in the transitions. The home crowd worried that the lead was precarious and they bellowed their encouragement.
Trossard would calm them down. His finish was in the no-nonsense category, steered home after Ødegaard’s pass had deflected and Rice sculpted the deftest of touches for the assist. When Bournemouth were denied by the VAR, Arsenal looked home and hosed. Ødegaard went close to scoring for 3-0 while Gabriel saw a screamer ruled out for offside against Havertz in the middle following an Ødegaard cross. The last word would go to Rice.