Arsenal put the pressure back on to Manchester City in the Premier League title race with a comprehensive 3-0 triumph over AFC Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium.
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Mikel Arteta's side temporarily moved four points clear at the top but Man City returned the gap to one point by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 5-1 later in the day and have a match in hand.
Bukayo Saka opened the scoring from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time, with Arsenal securing a deserved reward for their first-half dominance as they racked up 16 shots in the first period alone.
Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice made sure of three points with late finishes as defeat left Bournemouth – who had an Antoine Semenyo strike ruled out in the closing stages – 10th in the table.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
37 | +60 | 88 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
37 | +61 | 86 |
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
37 | +43 | 79 |
How the match unfolded
A flowing Arsenal move almost ended in Trossard converting Ben White's 10th-minute cross, only for a last-gasp Marcos Senesi block to thwart the Belgium forward.
Bournemouth had Mark Travers to thank soon after as the goalkeeper saved fizzing efforts from Kai Havertz and Saka, as well as a one-on-one with William Saliba.
Travers' one-man resistance continued when he pushed away Thomas Partey's low left-footed curling attempt, before Rice fired narrowly wide following Havertz's delicate header.
Yet Arsenal finally got their breakthrough as Travers felled the marauding Havertz before Saka coolly swept into the bottom-left corner from 12 yards.
Saka should have doubled his tally after the interval but sent a glorious opportunity straight at Travers following a smart offload from Havertz, who went close minutes later.
David Raya was forced into action at the other end to deny Dominic Solanke after 53 minutes, while Justin Kluivert whipped a free-kick just over.
That spell of Bournemouth pressure came to an abrupt end with 20 minutes to go when Rice twisted to tee up Trossard, who slotted a smart right-footed finish into the bottom-right corner.
The Cherries thought they had snatched a goal back just three minutes later but Semenyo's rebounded strike after Ryan Christie hit the crossbar was ruled out for a Solanke foul on Raya.
Arsenal then suffered a similar fate with the officials as Gabriel's rocketed volley was disallowed for offside. But Rice was not to be denied in stoppage time as he ran onto Gabriel Jesus's through-ball and fired under the helpless Travers.
Advantage Arsenal thanks to super Saka
Arsenal have won 14 of their 16 Premier League games so far in 2024, dropping points only against Man City (0-0) and Aston Villa (2-0) this year.
That incredible run of form ensures a tantalising title race will continue towards the final two matches of the season, when Arsenal travel to Manchester United and then host Everton on the final day.
Their success this season can be somewhat apportioned to star winger Saka, who has now become the first player to score 20 goals for Arsenal in a season across all competitions since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck 29 in 2019/20.
Saka is also the first Englishman to do so for the club since Theo Walcott, who netted 21 times in 2012/13, as the England international continues to deliver in key moments for the Gunners.
Cherries blunted by dominant Gunners
Bournemouth had won 1-0 at Wolves and 3-0 against Brighton & Hove Albion in their two Premier League encounters before this – but they have never triumphed in three consecutive top-flight games without conceding.
A wait for three straight such victories will go on into next season, though Andoni Iraola will look back on this campaign with fond memories.
They have never won more matches in a top-flight season than their 13 in 2023/24 (also 13 in 2018/19) and – despite this underwhelming performance – will have another chance to set an outright club record when they host Brentford before visiting Chelsea on the final day, with a top-half finish still possible.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
37 | +21 | 57 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
37 | -3 | 57 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
37 | -12 | 52 |
| 10 |
Brighton
BHA
|
37 | -5 | 48 |
| 11 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
37 | -12 | 48 |
Club reports
Arsenal report | Bournemouth report
Final Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Arsenal have scored 10 penalties in the Premier League this season, with only Chelsea netting more (11). Indeed, this is the joint-most penalties the Gunners have scored in a single Premier League campaign, along with 2006-07.
All 10 of Arsenal’s outfield starters attempted at least one shot in this game, the first time this has happened in a Premier League game for the Gunners since January 2022 against Burnley.
Bournemouth have lost all 11 of their Premier League games against sides starting the day top of the table, the worst 100% loss rate against such opposition in the competition’s history.
David Raya has kept 15 clean sheets in the Premier League this season, with only Petr Cech (16 in 2015-16) keeping more shutouts in his debut Premier League campaign for the Gunners (David Seaman in 1992-93 & Jens Lehmann in 2003-04 both also 15 clean sheets each).