We extended our lead at the top of the Premier League to six points thanks to a hard-fought 3-2 success at Bournemouth, as we stretched our winning run to five in the competition.
A Declan Rice double which followed Gabriel's second goal in as many games was enough to edge past the Cherries, and pick up another big victory as we build momentum at a key time in the season.
But how did we do it? Adrian Clarke has delved through the footage and stats to uncover why:
RIGHT wing ravished
The balance of our attacking play was even at the Vitality Stadium, but we did enjoy significantly greater penetration down the right wing compared to the opposite side. Noni Madueke enjoyed a brilliant first half, tormenting Adrien Truffert and Antoine Semenyo, with his speed and skill on numerous occasions.
It was good to see Jurrien Timber leave him alone in 1v1s, rather than crowding his space with overlaps too. As a consequence, the England international had a lot of joy. He should have scored from a mazy dribble and shot, but Madueke did get to the byline superbly before cutting the ball back in a move that led to Gabriel’s equaliser…
In the second half Bukayo Saka came on for Madueke and made an immediate impression, creating three chances, including the assist for Declan Rice’s second goal. His burst behind Truffert from Martin Odegaard’s pass was terrific and beautifully timed, as was his awareness of where to find Rice.
When you analyse the touches from Madueke and Saka, comparing them with our left wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, you can clearly see a difference. Through speed, skill and clever movement we stretched the Cherries especially well down the right side:
Touch Map – Madueke, Saka, Martinelli & Trossard
EXPLOITING SPACE
All three of our strikes on the south coast owed plenty to smart spatial awareness. Ahead of the ball falling at his feet for a vital equaliser (which made amends for his error that gifted Bournemouth the opener) Gabriel refused to be drawn towards the goal itself. He was initially marked tightly by Alex Jimenez as Madueke made his way into the box with the ball at his feet:
But as all the home defenders were drawn towards the ball, our Brazilian centre-back cleverly retreated, standing alone in a pocket of space. Once the ball deflected to him, he was in an ideal position to fire his shot on target:
Both of Declan Rice’s goals came because of his perfect choices, movement-wise. Prior to putting us 2-1 up he held back as the ball was flicked on for Viktor Gyokeres, who then drew an army of red and black shirts towards him in the danger zone. Biding his time, Rice timed a late run into the ‘d’ to curl home Odegaard’s pass:
Rice’s decision-making was just as intelligent for the goal which turned out to be our winner. He was up with play as Odegaard slipped Saka in behind, but as his marker Alex Scott ran towards goal, our inspirational midfielder stood still to ensure he was free in the box.
Screaming for the cutback, with his arms out wide, Rice slotted home to pull back with aplomb to win us the match.
Read more Watch: Rice's midfield masterclass at Bournemouth
TACTICAL TWEAK
Early on we dominated the ball and pressed high when we did not have possession, but that approach was handled well by Bournemouth. Tactically bright, Andoni Iraola’s side flipped the ball longer to bypass our press from turnovers.
When our shape was stretched by an advanced midfield three, Bournemouth managed to get quality possession between the lines more often than we would have liked, helping them create most of their best chances in that opening 45 minutes, while limiting us to minimal sustained pressure. In the first half, most of the game was played in our defensive third than theirs:
First half action areas
In the second period we dropped a little deeper and sacrificed some possession, to draw the Cherries onto us. With Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice covering shorter distances, and largely bossing their duels, we had a better platform to launch our attacks.
Second-half action areas
This tweak from Mikel Arteta had the desired effect, as we found more space ourselves, which allowed us to push the hosts back. Bournemouth’s expected goals tally in the second half alone was just 0.22 compared with 1.22 in the opening period.
We also spent longer periods in the final third. These stats tell the story of this positive change:
Arsenal v Bournemouth
1st Half
2nd Half
Possession
62.4%
51.1%
Passes in final third
59
78
Expected goals against
1.22
0.22
MIDFIELD RAISED THEIR GAME
Rice and Zubimendi both performed outstandingly well in the second half. Rice’s goalscoring double was the main contribution of course, but without the ball their central axis broke up play with enormous regularity.
Playing closer to each other with a focus on protecting the back four, Zubimendi (who made a seriously impressive 12 ball recoveries overall) and Rice (who picked up a flurry of second balls) formed an impressive defensive barrier.
Rice and Zubimendi: Second half ball recoveries, clearances and tackles won
From half-time onwards, skipper Odegaard was also much more prominent of course. His lovely lay-off for Rice allowed him to shoot first time to hand us the lead, and it was the Norwegian’s guile that prised Bournemouth open for our killer third. Without the engine room making these improvements, we may not have collected this hugely important win.
Read more Zubimendi and Merino: Midfield maestros reunited
ATHLETIC DESIRE
Our players’ application cannot be faulted at all. Facing one of the fittest, most aggressive teams in the division, we showed tremendous grit and determination to come from behind to seal the victory.
These numbers prove how hard we worked to gain the upper hand:
Bournemouth
Arsenal
Distance covered (km)
111.1
116.3
Duel success rate
42%
55%
Aerial duels won
43%
55%
Tackles
16
25
We won the majority of duels, tackled fiercely, and pushed ourselves physically to ensure there was no slip-up. It may not have always been pretty, but hunger, strength in depth and moments of attacking intelligence at key moments got us over the line.
Read more Watch a full match replay of our Bournemouth win
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