Arsenal defeat Bournemouth 3-2 away after overcoming a shaky opening, with Declan Rice scoring twice extending their advantage at the top of the Premier League six point away from Manchester City on Saturday.

Bournemouth who opened the score-sheet early scoring in the 10th minute when Arsenal’s defender Gabriel Magalhaes made a mistake by passing the ball to Bournemouth striker Evanilson, allowing him to score comfortably.

Gabriel quickly redeemed himself for the earlier mistake, finding the net just six minutes later, bringing Arsenal back on level terms.

Declan Rice after missing out on the 4-1 defeat against Aston villa due injury, scored the second goal at the 54th minute after a pass from Martin Odegard, and also went on to score his second goal later on after being teed up by substitute Bukayo Saka on the 71th minute.

Arsenal looked to be in full control of the game following Rice’s brace, but the match became more tensed when substitute Junior Kroupi thundered a strike past David Raya five minutes later, sparking a nervy finish for the visitors.

After the game, Rice praised both his teammate and thhe team’s resilience, saying Gabriel showed strong character by responding postively after his mistake and performing well through out the rest of the match.

“It showed the character of Gabriel to make the mistake and then how he played for the rest of the game,” Rice said. “It showed the mentality of the team. Key thing was three points and we are building momentum.” he added.

Arsenal’s Coach, Mikel Arteta revealed that Declan Rice had been battling fitness issues in the days leading up to the match but showed determination and confidence to make himself available.

“Declan Rice was struggling the last few days but pushed and pushed and pushed and made himself available,” said Arteta,

“He played 96 minutes, scored two goals and was one of the best players on the pitch. That is the mentality we need from all of us.” he further added.

Arsenal now sits on top of the table with 48 points from 20 matches, holding a six-point cushion over Aston Villa on 42, while Manchester City follow closely on 41 points, having played one game fewer.

Bournemouth’s struggles continued as they extended their winless run to 11 league matches, dropping to 15th place after what had been a promising start to the season.

Bournemouth Vs Arsenal Match Stats