Arsenal moved six points clear at the top of the Premier League after a 3-2 victory at Bournemouth, thanks to a second-half brace from Declan Rice. The Gunners overcame an early deficit caused by a defensive error, while Bournemouth's winless streak extended to 11 games. The result puts pressure on rivals Manchester City, now seven points behind.
Arsenal's lead at the Premier League summit was under threat after Aston Villa's 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest reduced the gap to three points earlier on Saturday. However, Mikel Arteta's side responded emphatically at the Vitality Stadium, despite a shaky start.
Bournemouth capitalized on an energetic opening, with Evanilson scoring in the 10th minute after Gabriel's poor pass across the box fell straight to him, allowing a clinical finish past David Raya. Gabriel quickly redeemed himself, equalizing soon after when a blocked shot from Noni Madueke ricocheted into his path for a powerful strike.
The first half ended level, but Arsenal struggled to build momentum initially in the second. They were fortunate when David Brooks fired across goal from a quick free-kick nine minutes in. Rice, returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for the midweek win over Villa, then took control.
Just a minute after Brooks' miss, Rice opened the scoring, latching onto Martin Odegaard's pass following Viktor Gyokeres' hold-up play and firing into the bottom-right corner. Seventeen minutes later, he doubled the lead with a composed finish from Bukayo Saka's pull-back on the right wing.
Junior Kroupi gave Bournemouth hope 14 minutes from time with a stunning curling shot into the far corner, but Arsenal held firm to secure the points. The Cherries, unchanged from their recent 2-2 draw with Chelsea and featuring Antoine Semenyo—who is expected to join Manchester City soon—remain nine points above the relegation zone but winless in their last 11 league games.
Arsenal's lineup included returns for Rice in place of Mikel Merino, with Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli starting on the flanks alongside Gyokeres up front. The victory leaves Manchester City seven points adrift ahead of their clash with manager-less Chelsea.
