Player ratings as Gunners ramp up title pressure

Arsenal moved four points clear at the top of the Premier League table with an important 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday lunchtime.

Mikel Arteta’s men could have been out of sight at half-time but they did take a one-goal lead into the break after Bukayo Saka calmly converted from the penalty spot in the 45th minute.

Leandro Trossard doubled Arsenal’s advantage after the break and, despite some VAR controversy, Declan Rice added a third for the Gunners in stoppage time as the hosts earned three crucial points in the title race.

How the game unfolded

Arsenal were in desperate need of another victory to keep the pressure firmly on reigning champions Manchester City in the title race, and the hosts started quickly at the Emirates Stadium despite not turning their dominance into an early opener thanks to some fantastic Bournemouth blocks.

It wasn’t until the 13th minute that Arsenal eventually tested Mark Travers through the in-form Kai Havertz. The German latched on to a ball in behind the Bournemouth defence and rifled a left-footed effort towards goal that was rebuffed by the Irish stopper.

William Saliba and Saka were next to sting Travers’ palms with close range efforts, while Takehiro Tomiyasu also came close from a corner as Arsenal pushed desperately for what seemed an inevitable first goal of the game.

Having seen Rice inexplicably fire wide from ten yards out, it seemed as if Arsenal would have no reward for their impressive first-half display. But Saka made sure that they did have a narrow lead at the break, converting from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time after Travers made contact with Havertz’s trailing leg in the box.

The early stages of the second half followed much the same patterns as the first, with Arsenal controlling proceedings with little fuss. Saka and Havertz made Travers work yet again just after the restart, with Dominic Solanke forcing David Raya into a rare save at the other end.

Bournemouth started to flex their attacking muscles as the second half progressed but the Gunners killed the game with 20 minutes to play. Rice’s neat flick on the edge of the area set up Trossard and the Belgian produced a typically calm side-footed effort to double Arsenal’s lead.

The Cherries thought they had reduced the deficit shortly after Trossard’s strike when Antoine Semenyo turned home following a ricochet off Arsenal’s crossbar. However, referee David Coote disallowed the goal for a foul on Raya in the build-up, with Andoni…