Arsenal have regained their five-point lead on top of the Premier League table with a dramatic comeback win over Bournemouth at Emirates.
Arsenal were largely tipped by pundits to have the better of Bournemouth and regain their five-point lead on top of the Premier League table.
Manchester City had cut the point deficit to two points with a 2-0 victory over top-four hopefuls Newcastle United in the early kickoff.
Going into the game trapped in the relegation zone with 21 points from 24 games, Bournemouth were expected to give the Premier League leaders a tough fight as they battle to survive relegation in the Premier League.
At Emirates, Bournemouth had to battle with an underwhelming stats. In their six trips to the Emirates, they have lost all six.
Overall, they have never kept a clean sheet against the Gunners and have managed just one win in their 11 meetings with the Gunners.
Martin O’Neils need nothing less from a win to keep Premier League survival hopes alive. They bagged all three points against Wolves at the Molineux but were humbled by a heavy 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.
Arsenal Starting Lineup: Aaron Ramsdale; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Fabio Vieira, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard; Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli.
Bournemouth Starting Lineup: Neto; Chris Mepham, Jack Stephens, Marcos Senesi; Adam Smith, Joe Rothwell, Philip Billing, Jordan Zemura; Dango Ouattara, Dominic Solanke, Antoine Semenyo.
A shock dreary start by the Gunners saw Bournemouth take a surprise first-minute lead in what could be the fastest goal in the Premier League this season.
Poor defending by the Gunners saw Billing volley home a cool finish in the first minute to give Bournemouth a surprise lead.
Arsenal picked up their game quickly and tried to force an equaliser which they couldn’t for a while, thanks to Bournemouth’s all-man defense.
All Bournemouth players retreated into their own half to defend the goal, giving Arsenal the leeway to dominate proceedings going forward.
It was a one-sided game as Bournemouth sat back hoping to offset Arsenal on the counter while the Gunners continued to mount pressure.
After a dragging first half, Bournemouth succeeded in holding off the Gunners to take the narrow 0-1 lead into the break.
The second half kicked off with the Gunners continuing to hold sway over the game. Shockingly, Bournemouth doubled their lead in the 57th minute with Senesi nodding home a corner-kick to secure what looked like a win.
Arsenal then mounted a quick and dramatic response. Thomas Partey struck in the 65th minute to restore hopes of a comeback for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta brought in Nelson to sharpen the Gunners’ attack and it yielded result.
In the 70th minute, Nelson provided an assist for Ben White, who fired into the net to level the scores for Arsenal.
Arsenal continued to push for a winner after the equaliser. In the 98th minute, Nelson hit a late winner for the Gunners.
The Premier League leaders secured a dramatic 3-2 win after the final whistle to regain their five-point lead on the Premier League table.
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