Arsenal continued their march towards the Premier League title, securing a 3-0 victory over Bournemouth in their second-to-last home game, thereby increasing the pressure on Manchester City.
Bukayo Saka’s converted penalty just before halftime gave Arsenal the lead, with Leandro Trossard doubling their advantage on the 70th minute mark. Declan Rice sealed the victory with a third goal deep into stoppage time, calming the atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium.
The win propelled Arsenal to 83 points from 36 games, while reigning champions City remained on 79 points from 34 matches before their encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers later that day.
Bournemouth found themselves on the wrong end of contentious VAR decisions, as Arsenal’s penalty was confirmed after a lengthy review, and a potential goal for Bournemouth was disallowed after another VAR check. Despite Gabriel’s disallowed goal for Arsenal, Rice’s late strike solidified Mikel Arteta’s team’s pursuit of their first Premier League title in two decades.
With Manchester City yet to play, Arsenal seized the opportunity to increase the pressure, securing victory in a relatively straightforward manner, although they took their time to break down Bournemouth’s defensive setup.
Despite dominating possession, Arsenal faced a resolute Bournemouth side, who often had all ten outfield players behind the ball in the first half.
Trossard and Odegaard were denied by determined Bournemouth defending, while nerves crept in when a mistake by Gabriel allowed Dominic Solanke a chance, only for William Saliba to make a crucial last-ditch tackle.
