Arsenal strengthened their position at the top of the Premier League with a 3-2 victory at Bournemouth on Saturday evening with the Gunners now six points clear
Declan Rice scored twice in Arsenal's Premier League win over Bournemouth
Declan Rice scored twice in Arsenal's Premier League win over Bournemouth
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Arsenal weathered an early setback and a late surge from Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium to bolster their standing at the summit of the Premier League. Goals from Gabriel Magalhaes and a brace from Declan Rice secured the victory, sandwiched between goals from Evanilson and Eli Junior Kroupi.
Despite a 10-match winless streak, the Cherries have shown promise on home turf, as evidenced by their fiery start to the match. Evanilson capitalised on a glaring error by Gabriel to put his side ahead just 10 minutes into the game.
However, the Gunners defender redeemed himself shortly after the 15-minute mark, pouncing on a loose ball following some excellent work by Noni Madueke.
The Cherries managed to keep Arsenal at bay for the rest of the first half but found themselves trailing 10 minutes into the second half when Rice slotted a shot past Djorde Petrovic, courtesy of a brilliant assist from Martin Odegaard.
Bukayo Saka made an immediate impact just four minutes after coming on, setting up Rice for his second goal of the match. Kroupi's superb strike made for a tense finale for the visitors, but they held firm to secure their fifth consecutive league win.
The three points were crucial for Arsenal in light of Aston Villa's earlier victory over Nottingham Forest, ahead of Manchester City taking on Chelsea. With all this in mind, Mirror Sport has examined the upcoming fixtures for Arsenal, Man City and Villa.
Arsenal's next five Premier League fixtures
Liverpool (H) - Jan 8
Nottingham Forest (A) - Jan 17
Manchester United (H) - Jan 25
Sunderland (H) - Feb 7
Following that, Arsenal will travel to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest, who are currently in a relegation battle. They'll then return to their home turf for a showdown with Manchester United, before wrapping up January with an away game against Leeds United. February kicks off with Sunderland visiting the Emirates.
Declan Rice of Arsenal celebrates
Declan Rice was superb in Arsenal's win over Bournemouth
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Manchester City's next five Premier League fixtures
Chelsea (H) - Jan 4
Brighton (H) - Jan 7
Man United (A) - Jan 17
Wolves (H) - Jan 24
Tottenham (A) - Feb 1
They'll then head to Old Trafford for a Manchester derby, hoping to secure a domestic double over Manchester United. Wolves, who've yet to secure an away win, will visit the Etihad towards the end of the month.
February begins with a trip to Tottenham, where City will aim to avoid a repeat of their 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.
Aston Villa's next five Premier League fixtures
Crystal Palace (A) - Jan 7
Everton (H) - Jan 18
Newcastle (A) - Jan 25
Brentford (H) - Feb 1
Bournemouth (A) - Feb 7
Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins celebrate combining for an Aston Villa goal
Morgan Rogers assisted Ollie Watkins in Aston Villa's win over Nottingham Forest
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Everton are next to visit Villa Park, and while it may seem like an easy match on paper, the Toffees have only lost one of their last six away games. Their final league match of the month is a showdown at St James' Park, which is unlikely to end in another goalless draw like their opening day encounter.
Villa's first match in February sees them host Brentford before they head to Bournemouth, who have only suffered two league defeats at the Vitality Stadium this season.