Bournemouth 2-3 Arsenal: Twice Rice baby

Match report – Player ratings – Arteta reaction – Video

Arsenal made it five wins in a row in the Premier League yesterday evening, with Declan Rice the man of the hour as his two goals propelled us to a 3-2 win over Bournemouth.

In the preview yesterday, I urged caution over his involvement if there was any risk over the knee problem which had kept him out of the Aston Villa game. They obviously decided there wasn’t, or it was a risk worth taking. Either way, he was pivotal to this victory, and it wasn’t easy going by any means.

Having gone behind to a bizarre goal, when Gabriel played it blind straight to Evanlison who made no mistake from inside our box, the Brazilian defender made up for it quickly with a fine finish to make it 1-1. Credit to Noni Madueke whose good work on the right was instrumental to creating that opportunity, and after Gabriel Martinelli’s shot was blocked, big Gabi cancelled out his howler by blasting the ball home for 1-1.

That said, I think Bournemouth were the more dangerous side in the first half. There were chances they didn’t quite make the most of, Marcus Tavernier’s smart movement caused us problems more than once, and our game lacked the kind of control you usually associate with Arsenal. Bournemouth make it tough, their pressing game forces turnovers, and when you’re even slightly below your best with the ball at your feet, it can be costly at this level.

Maybe our best moment came just before half-time when Martinelli had a chance to feed Madueke at the back post, but a combination of a poor pass and committed defending snuffed that out. In the second, I think we found that bit of precision on the ball that had been missing, and inside ten minutes we were ahead. Martinelli won a good flick on, and while I’m not really a subscriber to the idea that the benefit of Viktor Gyokeres is that he occupies defenders, he certainly did in this case. His presence made an attempted clearance a poor one, it fell for Martin Odegaard who laid it back for Rice and his side-footed finish was exactly what that chance needed. 1-2.

Bournemouth still posed threat, Jurrien Timber was needed at the back post to prevent Antoine Semenyo’s good work resulting in a tap-in, before the depth of this Arsenal squad was demonstrated with a triple change in the 67th minute. Out went Gyokeres, Martinelli and Madueke, on came Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka. That’s so strong. And it was the latter who made an almost instant impact when Odegaard spotted his smart run behind the full back, Saka pulled it back for Rice who finished calmly again to make it 3-1.

That felt comfortable for a few minutes, but I swear this team is addicted to one goal lead. At first, I wondered if this was a goal where you might ask a question of David Raya, but on repeated viewings, I think you have to doff your cap to Eli Junior Kroupi for the quality of the strike. I think we could close him down better, but the way he struck that and the way the ball moved through the air, I don’t think there’s a keeper in the league who would save it. Sometimes you have to acknowledge the quality, even when it goes against you.

So, that left us in a position we’ve become a bit familiar with this season, and perhaps we saw in those closing stages, it’s a position we’re well capable of dealing with for the most part. Bournemouth barely threatened at all, one blocked shot the most they could muster in what remained of the game. They resorted to long balls, desperation stuff, and it was meat and drink for the Arsenal defence. I can’t say it’s ever fully comfortable when the scoreline is that tight, but we dealt comfortably with everything they threw at us.

They didn’t like the way the referee blew the final whistle, which I can kind of understand, but I think both sides could have a moan about Chris Kavanagh if they wanted. The rugby tackle on Gabriel Jesus that went unpunished, for example, and then there was the mad attempt by their man to win a penalty by stooping to make contact with Gabriel’s elbow. That lad was already on a booking, and while you might find his endeavour somewhat amusing, it was as cynical as it gets.

Afterwards, Mikel Arteta said:

We made it even harder for ourselves in the manner that we conceded the first one. But I love the character of the team, I love the character of Gabi. The way he overcame that situation, it’s just unbelievable. And it tells a lot about how much we’ve grown and matured over the years.

The team found a way to beat them and it’s a massive win.

And, of course, there were words of praise for Rice after his two goal salvo:

Declan is constantly adding things to his game. He’s constantly adding things to his role in the team. I don’t see where he can stop because he can still improve in a lot of areas and he wants to improve. He’s such a pivotal player for us.

I think we’re seeing a player of the season candidate level of performance from Rice this season. Not just Arsenal player of the season either. We’ve had lots of discussions about how we probably need one of our forwards to catch fire to really drive us to the title, but maybe that’s what we’re already seeing from Rice. The consistency, the presence he brings when he’s in the team, it’s as good as if gets from any player in his position, and he deserves huge credit today for that win.

I think we’re also seeing a return to form from Odegaard, which was always going to be crucial for me. Two assists and a goal in his last three games, and the pass for Saka which led to our third last night. With this squad, we’re not going to be a team who has that one player who scores 30+ goals in a season, but what we possess is a collective quality that could be even more important in this title race. Let’s hope so anyway. This was a tough place to go, it’s another result which betters the one we had last season, and with Man City playing today, it’s up to them to respond to that bit of pressure we’ve applied.

Right, I’ll leave it there for this morning, we’ll wait and see what today’s football brings, and we’ll be back tomorrow with an Arsecast Extra and much more besides. For now, enjoy your Sunday.