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Arsenal defeated Bournemouth 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, March 4.
The Gunners entered this contest on the back of three wins, one draw and one defeat in their last five games across competitions. They smashed Everton 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium in their last league encounter to go five points clear at the top of the league. Mikel Arteta named a lineup with three changes for this game as Takehiro Tomiyasu, Fabio Vieira and Thomas Partey were included.
Bournemouth, on the other hand, had won one, drawn two and lost two of their last five games prior to this one. They were 19th in the table prior to kick-off and knew they needed something from this game.
Arsenal were stunned in the opening seconds of the game as Philip Billing gave Bournemouth an unexpected lead after just 11 seconds. The hosts were rattled but kept their composure as they passed the ball and created decent chances. However, they were unable to score before the half-time break as they trailed 1-0 at half-time.
Things got worse for the Gunners after the break as they conceded a second goal to Bournemouth in the 57th minute. Marcos Senesi found himself in space and headed in a pass from Joe Rothwell to make it 2-0. With their backs against the wall, Arsenal had it all to do in the final 30 minutes.
Thomas Partey grabbed a much-needed goal in the 60th minute as Emile Smith Rowe cushioned a header from a corner towards him. Substitute Reiss Nelson then teed up Benjamin White for the hosts' third goal, before scoring in the 97th minute to win the game for the Gunners.
On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5. Bournemouth forced Arsenal onto the back foot initially
Bournemouth scored a jaw-dropping 11 seconds into the game as they left Arsenal and the Emirates Stadium faithful silenced. Their strong start was due to the willingness of their midfielders to press up the pitch, forcing the Gunners' players to make errors and give the ball away.
The first goal needed a bit of luck to go in but was well-worked regardless. However, Bournemouth added to that by maintaining a solid defensive structure with skipper Neto marshaling the goal.
#4. Mikel Arteta made the right changes at the right time
With Leandro Trossard injured in the first half, Arteta decided to bring Emile Smith Rowe onto the pitch. The midfielder put in a great performance as he slowly makes his way back to regular action following a lengthy period on the sidelines due to surgery. Smith Rowe provided an assist for Arsenal's first goal and played well overall.
The Spaniard then brought on Ben White and Reiss Nelson, who combined for the second goal as the latter assisted the former. Nelson then took things a step further as he smashed in the winner for the Gunners with just seconds left on the clock.
#3. Gary O'Neil set up his Bournemouth side for a win
Despite failing to hold onto their impressive two-goal lead in the end, manager Gary O'Neil and his Bournemouth side are bound to make the trip back to the South Coast feeling proud of their efforts against one of the best teams in the league.
Despite being a traditionally smaller club that does not have big-name personnel, the Cherries went toe-to-toe with the Gunners for a long time and were leading 2-0 until the 60-minute mark.
#2. Arsenal maintain their five-point advantage at the summit
Arsenal won in the dying embers of the match to secure all three points as they climbed to 63 points from 26 games so far this season. With the win, they are still five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who defeated Newcastle United 2-0 earlier in the day.
With 12 games yet to go and the two sides to face each other at the Etihad Stadium in April, things could not have been better poised for a grandstand finish to this Premier League season.
#1. The relegation battle will go down to the wire
Following the results today, the three teams - Everton, Southampton and Bournemouth - are all tied for last place in the Premier League with 21 points from 25 games. However, there is a significant gap in their respective goal differences.
Above them are Leeds United in 17th with 22 points, West Ham United in 16th with 23 points and Leicester City in 15th with 24 points - all having played 25 games. Should this continue towards the end of the season, it could be one of the most exciting and taxing relegation battles in history.
