Arsenal ended their four-match winless streak to move up to third in the Premier League table courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth this afternoon.
The visitors found the back of the net in a league game for the first time in five hours when Mesut Ozil gave them the lead midway through the half, slamming the ball into the roof of the net from inside the area.
The second took less than 90 seconds to arrive afterwards as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain drilled a low strike in off the post to put his side in control of the contest.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's early Premier League kickoff as Bournemouth host Arsenal for the first ever time in a competitive match. Both sides have very different ambitions in the league this season, and in recent weeks it is Bournemouth who have looked more like achieving their goals than a stuttering Arsenal. An away victory today could change all that, however, so we should be in for an entertaining contest. Let's start with a look at the two teams...
BOURNEMOUTH STARTING XI: Boruc; Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels; Surman, Gosling, Arter, Ritchie, Pugh; Afobe
BOURNEMOUTH SUBS: Federici, Distin, O'Kane, King, Grabban, Iturbe, Stanislas
ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech, Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal; Flamini, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Sanchez; Giroud
ARSENAL SUBS: Ospina, Gibbs, Mertesacker, Coquelin, Walcott, Iwobi, Campbell
What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, there are no surprises when it comes to Bournemouth's starting XI, with Eddie Howe naming an unchanged side to the one that beat Crystal Palace on Tuesday. That includes January signing Benik Afobe leading the line against his former club, and Wenger may be starting to regret letting the striker go. He has scored in each of his last three league appearances for the Cherries having arrived from Wolves for £10m, and since leaving the Gunners just over a year ago he has netted 26 times in 52 games.
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With Afobe in that sort of form, there was little doubt that he was going to start, but Howe does have attacking reinforcements on the bench which he may not have expected. Stanislas has adequately recovered from a knee injury to make the bench, while KIng is also among the subs following hamstring troubles. Another January arrival in the form of Iturbe is also included having failed to force his way into the starting lineup just yet.
Bournemouth have got through a lot of work this season, and that is credit to their industrious midfield. They may have to be at their most active this afternoon against an Arsenal side who like to knock the ball about and who are likely to dominate possession for long spells. The likes of Arter, Ritchie and Pugh have the ability to make the most of what possession Bournemouth do get, however, while Surman will be charged with protecting the back four.
That back four remains, as ever, Smith, Francis, Cook and Daniels. It is a familiar unit named by Eddie Howe, which no doubt helps the understanding in defence and they will be hopeful of keeping a misfiring Arsenal at bay this afternoon. Behind them is Artur Boruc who, though prone to the odd mistake, has been in decent form overall for the Cherries this season.
The man charged with beating Boruc this afternoon is Olivier Giroud as he leads the Arsenal line once again, although things haven't really been going his - or Arsenal's - way in front of goal recently. The French striker has, however, enjoyed purple patches this season and there aren't many better first-time finishers about in the Premier League, so if he is able to find any space inside the box then it might just be enough to win Arsenal the game.
He is unlikely to be short of service with the men behind him, including the fit-again Alexis Sanchez who is handed another start today. Ozil has been the chief creator this season, but having registered 16 assists before the turn of the year, he is yet to chalk one up in 2016 so far. That can be largely put down to his teammates, though, as he has created 16 goalscoring chances for them in the league this season - a tally that only Tottenham's Christian Eriksen can better.
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Wenger has made just one change to the side that drew with Southampton on Tuesday, and that sees Oxlade-Chamberlain return to the starting XI in place of Campbell, who has to make do with a place on the bench. That means that Walcott is also left among the subs, as is Francis Coquelin as he continues his recovery from injury. Flamini and Ramsey anchor the midfield again today, but Coquelin may well be called upon off the bench as he was against the Saints in midweek.
Also among the subs, and perhaps surprisingly once again, is Per Mertesacker. The German was left on the bench against Southampton in midweek and Gabriel is once again preferred to partner Koscielny at the heart of the defence. That partnership did keep a clean sheet against Southampton, however, so Wenger may have felt that it would be harsh to drop the Brazilian for today's game. Bellerin and Monreal continue on other flank, meanwhile, while Cech tends the goal as usual.
That Arsenal side will come into this match as favourites, but the form book suggests otherwise and Bournemouth will certainly fancy their chances today. This is the first time that they have ever hosted Arsenal in a competitive match, so it is a memorable occasion for the club, and they will be eager to show the Gunners exactly what they can do at Dean Court. Victory would certainly be a huge boost to their survival hopes.
Indeed, a win today would lift Bournemouth up to 13th in the table, at least until Chelsea play Manchester United in the later kickoff. That would leave them eight points clear of the relegation zone which, if you had offered them that position at this stage of the season before the campaign began, they would have bitten your hand off. They have adapted to life in the top flight really well and, as things stand, look on course to stay in the Premier League for a second season.
They are currently just as close to the top half of the table as they are to the relegation zone, so some Bournemouth fans may even be beginning to cast their eyes upwards rather than over their shoulders. Their recent form has seen them pick up regular points to edge up the table and further away from the bottom three, with just two defeats in their last 12 Premier League games stretching back to early November, when they were beaten by Newcastle.
Premier League victories have been fairly hard to come by in recent weeks - they have managed only two in their seven games since Christmas - but in all competitions they come into this match having won three and lost none of their last four games. Their record extends to just two defeats in 14 outings in all competitions, although it should be noted that one of those losses did come at the hands of Arsenal just three days after Christmas.
Things are improving at home too. The Cherries won just one of their opening six hoe league games this season, but they have since only lost of their last five and today could register back-to-back top-flight victories at Dean Court for the first time ever. There is still work to be done on their own patch - only Sunderland and Aston Villa have amassed fewer home points and Bournemouth have picked up more points on the road - but things seem to be going in the right direction for Eddie Howe's side.
The one area that they perhaps need to improve on more than any other is holding on to leads when they take them. Bournemouth have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League this season, throwing away 14 points having taken the lead. They usually take the lead early too - they have a league-high tally (eight) and proportion (28%) of goals scored inside the opening 15 minutes of games this season.
They actually came from behind in midweek, however, picking up a highly impressive victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The Cherries found themselves a goal down through Scott Dann, but Marc Puch levelled things up 10 minutes before half time and Afobe made it three in four games since joining with what proved to be the winner shortly before the hour mark. Afobe has certainly hit the ground running, and the rather unflattering fact that Callum Wilson remains Bournemouth's top scorer this season despite not having played since September may soon be obsolete.
The irony, I'm sure, will not be lost on Arsene Wenger that, as one of his former strikers returns to face him today in fine form, the Gunners are themselves on a bit of a goal drought. They were clinical against Liverpool in a 3-3 draw on January 13, but since then they have failed to score a single league goal in their three outings. Another blank this evening would see them equal their longest ever Premier League drought, and the first time they have gone four without scoring since February 2009, seven years ago.
That is one of many issues that will be beginning to worry Arsenal fans, who will be suffering an all too familiar February feeling right now. It is around this time of year that their season usually begins to collapse, and the signs are that it may be the case once again this time around. In mid-January Arsenal found themselves top of the table, and favourites for the title in the eyes of many, but they have since dropped to fourth place and may even be beginning to look over their shoulders.
The gap to leaders Leicester City is now eight points after the Foxes' stunning 3-1 win over Manchester City at the Etihad yesterday, although that would be cut to five - and Arsenal would move up a place to third - with a win today. Perhaps just as troubling for Arsenal fans will be the fact that Tottenham, who have not won the title since 1961, currently sit second in the table, three points above the Gunners and with a much better goal difference.
It is now four games without a Premier League victory for Arsene Wenger's side, and there are no guarantees that they will end that run in what is a tricky away tie for them today. Should they fail to win then it would be the first time that they have gone five Premier League matches without a victory since August 2011, and it would also give Manchester United the chance to close the gap on the top four in today's late kickoff.
In contrast to Bournemouth's poor, but improving, home form, Arsenal seem to be finding things increasingly difficult on the road. Only the top two of Leicester and Spurs have picked up more away points in in the league this season, and indeed scored more goals, but Arsenal's only away league victory since October came against rock-bottom Aston Villa on December 13. It is almost two months, then, since they won on the road in the top flight, which is simply not good enough for a side who have title aspirations.
They have dropped more points from winning positions away from home than any other side in the Premier League this season (seven), so coupled with Bournemouth league-high number of points surrendered from winning positions it will be interesting to see what happens when either side take the lead today! Arsenal certainly can't afford to continue throwing away points if they are to close the gap on the teams above them.
This, however, may be a match that is well suited to them. Bournemouth like to play football themselves and are unlikely to park the bus, which should in turn allow Arsenal space to play their own game too. Despite Bournemouth's form, Wenger may have preferred to play them this week than the likes of Newcastle or Sunderland, who would likely play a more defensive gameplan and look to frustrate the Gunners.
PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Vitality Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction! The form book points to a Bournemouth win, or at least a draw here, and I certainly wouldn't be surprised if the Cherries were able to grab a point given Arsenal's recent record on the road. However, I think the visitors' style is well suited to that of Bournemouth, so I'm going for a 2-1 Arsenal win today.
As previously mentioned, this is the first time that Bournemouth have ever hosted Arsenal in a competitive match, and they have only ever met twice before today. One of those was, of course, in the reverse fixture this season when goals from Gabriel and Ozil gave the Gunners a 2-0 victory on December 28, while the other came in the third round of the 1987-88 League Cup as Richardson, Alan Smith and Michael Thomas all scored for Arsenal in a 3-0 victory.
That, of course, means that Bournemouth have never scored a goal past Arsenal, although they will be confident of changing that today with Afobe in such good form. Bournemouth have already enjoyed memorable wins over Chelsea and Manchester United during their first season in the top flight, and Arsenal could provide another major scalp this afternoon.
Before we get started today, let me point you in the direction of the latest edition of 'The Dugout', where we talk about the biggest issues in football over the past week. It was a jam-packed show this week, with Pep Guardiola, John Terry and deadline day all amongst the topics for discussion:
We're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff here at Dean Court. The players are out and we're almost ready to go for Arsenal's first ever competitive away game against Bournemouth.
KICKOFF: Here we go then! Arsenal get us underway for this match, and it is a big one for both sides when it comes to their respective goals this season.
Bournemouth are looking to make a high-tempo start to this match, both on and off the ball. A Gabriel error almost gives them a chance to get in behind, but Cech comes out and collects the ball, before going walkabout and slicing his clearance out of play.
Important defending from Cook as he hooks the ball away just as it looked as though Ozil might be in behind the defence. It would have been a one-on-one had he not stretched every sinew to get there.
Decent spell for Arsenal as they come forward down the left and play a low ball into the box that is only cleared as far as Ramsey. His shot is blocked, but the pressure is already beginning to grow on the Bournemouth defence here.
Both sets of players surround referee Kevin Friend following a crunching challenge from Flamini, and the official has a decision to make here...
YELLOW CARD! Flamini is perhaps a little fortunate to get away with just a yellow after that two-footed challenge. Kevin Friend has been lenient there!
Good spell of possession for Bournemouth here, getting their foot on the ball and not rushing anything. They aren't going anywhere with it, but it is a good, settling period on the ball.
Monreal trips Afobe on the right flank to give Bournemouth a chance to lift the ball into the middle from a free kick. However, it is windy at Dean Court today and that causes Ritchie's delivery to float straight out of play.
CHANCE! The first hint of a chance today falls to Arsenal as a lofted ball over the top, initially meant for Giroud, in the end bounces all the way through for Sanchez. It is a difficult chance from a tight angle, though, and Sanchez can only fire his volley over the top.
Ozil makes good ground down the left before cutting back and going down under the challenge of Smith, but Kevin Friend tells the German to get up. It looked like a foul to me, but there wasn't much complaint for Ozil so perhaps the referee made the correct decision there.
Bournemouth have a couple of shooting opportunities from outside the area, but both are blocked and Arsenal quickly look to hit the hosts on the break. The ball is played into the middle towards Giroud, but Bournemouth eventually clear the danger.
Kevin Friend has let a fair amount go this afternoon, to the anger of the home fans in the latest incident as first Arter and then Pugh go down but are not awarded free kicks. The former stays down for a while and needs treatment on his ankle, but should be fine to continue.
There hasn't been much to shout about in the opening 20 minutes here, with Sanchez's volley from a tight angle the only real opening either side have had. Apart from that we have been limited to long-range efforts which have been blocked.
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-1 Arsenal (Mesut Ozil)
First blood to Arsenal midway through this first half! It is a fine strike from Ozil too, although Bournemouth will feel that it was a little too easy for the visitors. The ball was lifted to the back post where Sanchez and Giroud were waiting, and it is the latter who knocks it back for Ozil to slam his volley into the roof of the net.
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-2 Arsenal (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain)
They waited more than five hours for one, and now two come along in the space of a minute! Arsenal double their lead immediately after opening the scoring, with Oxlade-Chamberlain getting his first league goal for 16 months. Bournemouth give the ball away in a dangerous position and Arsenal work it out to the Ox on the right channel. The angle is against him, but he drills an accurate low finish in off the far post.
Is that game over for Bournemouth already? Well, Sunderland yesterday showed that a two-goal deficit to one of the big boys is not terminal, but it is certainly a hammer blow for the Cherries, who had matched the Gunners up until that blitz.
SAVE! The fingertips of Cech are all that deny Bournemouth from getting one back straight away. Arter carries the ball to the edge of the box and unleashes a brilliant effort towards goal, but Cech gets just enough on it to divert it over. Cracking stop.
Bournemouth have responded well to that quickfire double for Arsenal, keeping a bit of pressure on the visitors in the last few minutes. They certainly haven't given this one up just yet.
CHANCE! Big chance for Bournemouth to pull one back! Pugh nips the ball away from Gabriel on the left and suddenly finds himself bearing down on goal, but he takes too long deciding what to do with it and Bellerin gets back to get a vital foot in.
The Cherries have threatened since falling two behind here, but they need to take one of these chances sooner rather than later if they are to haul themselves back into this match.
Arsenal are still knocking the ball about confidently here, and they seem to have identified a high ball over to the left flank as a means in behind Bournemouth. That was where the first goal stemmed from, and they have tried it a number of times over the course of the game.
Eddie Howe will be pretty pleased with how his side have played so far today, despite the scoreline. The one thing that they haven't been able to do so far is get Afobe into the game.
SHOT! Buccaneering run from Daniels as he strides forward from the back before looking for Arter inside. Koscielny gets a foot to the ball to divert it into the path of Ritchie, but his first-time effort is well over.
Arsenal are in control of this game right now, but they will still want a third to put the game well and truly to bed. Bournemouth have looked capable of getting on the scoresheet, and one back, especially before half time, would make things tense for Arsenal.
Afobe gets in behind the Arsenal defence for the first time today, but he is forced a little wider than he would like and in the end another promising attacking platform comes to nothing for the Gunners.
There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
CHANCE! Bournemouth almost pull one back right at the end of the half as Smith sneaks in behind Monreal at the back post, taking a high ball down on his chest inside the area. Fortunately for Arsenal, Cech is more alert than his left-back and comes out to thwart the Bournemouth defender.
HALF TIME: Bournemouth 0-2 Arsenal
Kevin Friend brings an end to the first half here at Dean Court, then, and it is Arsenal who are in control with a 2-0 lead at the halfway stage. Bournemouth will feel that the scoreline is harsh having matched Arsenal for long spells of that first half, but a two-minute period is what separates the two sides at the moment.
The opening goal arrived midway through the first half when a cross was floated to the back post for Giroud to nod back into the path of Ozil, who showed great technique to slam his volley into the roof of the net.
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It took only 90 seconds for Arsenal to double their lead, with Cook giving the ball away in a dangerous area and being duly punished. The ball was worked out to Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right flank, and he drove a clinical finish in off the far post despite the angle being against him.
Bournemouth responded very well to those setbacks, however, and immediately looked to pull a goal back when Arter slammed a swerving effort towards the roof of the net. Cech was alert to it, however, and made a fine save to tip the ball over the top. The Arsenal keeper was also called upon right at the end of the half when Adam Smith snuck in behind Monreal, only for his touch to take him too close to Cech.
Pugh has also squandered a good opening for the Cherries when he found himself clean through on goal after nipping the ball away from Gabriel. He advanced into the box with only Cech to beat, but took too long over his finish and was eventually dispossessed by Bellerin before he could pull the trigger.
KICKOFF: Bournemouth get us back underway for the second half as they look to drag themselves back into this match.
Bournemouth have made a decent start to this second half, seeing more of the ball than their opponents. They are still struggling to get Afobe involved, though.
Half a shout for a penalty against Koscielny as the ball hits him in the midriff, but Kevin Friend is having none of it and rightly so.
SHOT! Bournemouth are asking a few questions of the defence here. Smith finds space down the right and plays the ball inside for Ritchie, who lines up his shot before hammering an effort towards goal. He once again can't keep it down, though, and the ball flies a couple of yards over the top.
CHANCE! Really good football from Bournemouth as they continue their pressure. They come forward first down the left and then down the right, when the ball is played in to Smith. He tries to cut back past Koscielny and the ball pops up nicely for him, but his volley hits the side-netting at the near post.
Eddie Howe will be very encouraged by what he has seen from his side so far in this second half. They have been the better team since the restart and are piling the pressure on the Arsenal defence at the moment. They need a goal from it, though.
Another good opportunity for Bournemouth breaks down as their latest counter ends when Gosling gets his pass back towards Ritchie wrong.
SAVES! Warning shot for Bournemouth that Arsenal are just one break away from putting this game to bed. Sanchez is the man who picks the ball up on the left before working space to shoot and seeing his low effort parried behind by Boruc. Giroud wins the header from the resulting corner, but plants his effort straight at the keeper.
Giroud is fortunate to get away with a card here have stood on the back of Smith's ankle. The replays suggest that Giroud knew what he was doing there, and if so it was a nasty one, but he immediately apologised to both Smith and the referee.
Bournemouth have had a quite incredible 75% of the ball in the second half so far, which is a good indication of how well they have played since the break. Still no goal to show for it though.
Good work from Sanchez as he reaches the byline down the left flank and manages to pull a low cross back into the middle, but there are no gold shirts there to turn it home and Bournemouth are able to clear their lines.
Bournemouth win another free kick in a decent crossing position, and this time Ritchie's delivery is a better one. Cech opts to stay on his line, and he is right to trust his defenders as they get the ball clear.
SHOT! Another Ritchie shot which ends up in the stands behind the goal! Bournemouth get the ball moving quickly from a free kick, with Ritchie picking the ball up just inside the Arsenal half. He isn't challenged as he carries the ball forward, but then slices his effort well off target.
BOURNEMOUTH SUBS: That proves to be Ritchie's final action as he makes way in one of two changes by Eddie Howe. On comes Junior Stanislas in his place, while Josh King replaces Gosling.
ARSENAL SUB: The Gunners respond with a change of their own as Francis Coquelin comes on for Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Good work from Pugh down the left as he twists his way into a crossing position, but then his delivery is disappointing and gets cleared before it can reach Afobe. The game is nice and open right now.
Bournemouth have less than 20 minutes to get themselves back into this match, and in truth they deserve something from it. They have more than matched the Gunners aside from that two-minute spell which, at the moment, is proving to be the difference.
Bournemouth have been on top in this second half, but Arsenal have done a decent job of preventing them from creating any really good chances during that time. It hasn't been a textbook example of managing a game while in the lead, mind.
Still Bournemouth are pushing for a way back into the match, but you can see that their belief is beginning to diminish a bit here.
BOURNEMOUTH SUB: Another change for the hosts as Afobe makes way following a quiet game, being replaced by Lewis Grabban.
Still no way through for Bournemouth, who really needed to get a goal during their spell on top at the start of the second half. They have just lacked a cutting edge in the final third today.
ARSENAL SUB: Change for the Gunners here as Sanchez trots off to be replaces by Kieran Gibbs.
More decent football from Bournemouth as they sweep forward down the left, but the eventual cross is deflected behind for a corner that comes to nothing. The final ball has just been lacking for the Cherries today.
CHANCE! Late chance for Bournemouth to give themselves just a glimmer of hope as Stanislas swings a dangerous ball into the box that King fails to connect with when he really should have done better.
Arter twists and turns away from two gold shirts in the middle of the park before going for goal, but once again it is a wayward drive that flies well off target.
CHANCE! Big chance for Arsenal late on as an attempted clearance for the Cherries goes wrong and Ramsey finds himself clean through on goal, with Giroud in support. Ramsey goes for goal himself, but Boruc has his angles right at the near post and makes the save.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.
SAVES! Bournemouth are fighting to the last here, and Cech is called upon to make two saves to quick succession here. The first was from close range as the ball dropped to Cook from a corner and he went for goal. The save bounced out to Arter, who drilled a low strike towards the bottom corner which Cech got down well to keep out.
ARSENAL SUB: Theo Walcott will get a few seconds on the field here as he replaces Giroud.
FULL TIME: Bournemouth 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal keep their clean sheet intact, then and move up to third in the table courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth. It is harsh on the Cherries, but they lacked a cutting edge in the final third and ultimately goals from Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain within 90 seconds of each other were the difference this afternoon.
That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole as Arsenal return to winning ways with a 2-0 triumph over Bournemouth. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. The late kickoff today is a big one between Chelsea and Manchester United, and our live coverage of that is already well underway, so be sure to check that out too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Barney Corkhill
