Arsenal 3-0 Bournemouth: Player ratings as Gunners extend lead at top

Arsenal opened up a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League, piling the pressure on title rivals Manchester City, after they overcame Bournemouth 2-0 on Saturday afternoon.

The sun beamed down on the Emirates turf as Mikel Arteta's Gunners purred in the opening exchanges. Suffocating Bournemouth and forcing them into block after block, it appeared a matter of time until the hosts would take the lead.

However, the Cherries just about weathered Arsenal's early storm, eventually growing into the contest on the half-hour mark as a hint of franticity crept into the Gunners' play. Tension was building in north London as half-time approached with Arsenal missing a bucket load of chances, but they were given a huge opportunity to go ahead when Kai Havertz was brought down by Mark Travers inside the Bournemouth box.

Bukayo Saka converted the penalty just before the break.

There was a considerable dynamic shift at the start of the second-half, with Bournemouth enjoying their best spell of the contest. The Cherries finally started to have success in possession, and David Raya was forced into his first save from Dominic Solanke.

There were elements of the Aston Villa second half, with Arsenal needing manage the contest. Thankfully, Leandro Trossard was on hand to provide some breathing room as he cooly finished from inside the area to double Arsenal's lead.

Bournemouth thought they'd immediately responded and halved the deficit, but Antoine Semenyo's goal was ruled out with Dominic Solanke being adjudged to have fouled David Raya in the build-up. Arsenal certainly got away with one, but the sequence proved to be the wake-up call required as they saw out the remainder of the contest with relative comfort.

The superb Declan Rice then extended Arsenal's lead at the death to add some gloss to the scoreline, with the Gunners securing yet another crucial victory during the run-in.

Arsenal 3-0 Bournemouth player ratings

Here are the Arsenal player ratings from their 3-0 victory over Bournemouth.

Goalkeeper & Defenders

David Raya (GK) - 6/10 - Made his one big save in the second hald but was very fortunate to get away with his flap which led to a disallowed Bournemouth goal at 2-0.

Ben White (RB) - 6.5/10 - Stellar early on, especially going forward, but he quietened down significantly after the opening 30 minutes.

William Saliba (CB) - 9/10 - Sensational. Saliba was in the mood on Saturday afternoon. Duel-winning machine and dominated the channel. As good as he's been all season.

Gabriel (CB) - 5.5/10 - He's had an excellent season, but this was a poor showing. While Saliba exuded imperious calm, Gabriel never looked settled and produced several clumsy moments. Cracking disallowed goal, mind.

Takehiro Tomiyasu (LB) - 7/10 - The Japanese international had a tricky assignment against the powerful Antoine Semenyo, but Tomiyasu was able to match the Bournemouth winger physically. Semenyo failed to bypass the Arsenal full-back.

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