Rice Steals the Show as Arsenal Explode in Epic Five-Goal Battle Against Bournemouth

A brace from Declan Rice in the second period propelled Arsenal to a vital 3–2 triumph over Bournemouth, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Gabriel was the focal point during a challenging opening 45 minutes for Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium, where Bournemouth presented significant difficulties. A catastrophic error allowed Evanilson to net the opener, but the Brazilian defender quickly transformed from zero to hero by thundering home the leveller moments later.

Rice emerged as the match-winner following the interval, delivering two clinical finishes within a 16-minute span to provide Arsenal with crucial breathing space, as the league leaders maintained their grip on three vital points despite a spectacular effort from Eli Junior Kroupi.

This victory extends Mikel Arteta's squad's advantage to six points over second-place Aston Villa and seven points ahead of Manchester City—though the latter can narrow the deficit when they meet managerless Chelsea this Sunday.

Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Bournemouth (4-3-3)

*Ratings courtesy of FotMob*

GK: David Raya—5.9: Given Bournemouth's counter-attacking threat, Raya faced minimal challenges between the posts. No spectacular saves were needed during this match and he bore no responsibility for either goal conceded.

RB: Jurriën Timber—7.3: Delivered dynamism along the right flank and consistently offered support to both Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka.

CB: William Saliba—6.5: Seldom troubled by Evanilson, who remained quiet after his early strike, and was rather unlucky to be part of a defense that conceded twice.

CB: Gabriel—6.6: A dreadful error presented the home side with their early advantage, but he quickly atoned with his fourth strike of the campaign across all competitions. Regained composure following a shaky beginning.

LB: Piero Hincapié—6.8: Managed Antoine Semenyo well while deputizing for the missing Riccardo Calafiori and proved solid in one-on-one situations.

CM: Martin Ødegaard—7.9: Registered an assist for the second goal and delivered an exquisite pass leading to the third. Another positive and energetic performance from the skipper, who is hitting his stride at the ideal time.

CM: Martín Zubimendi—8.1: Fulfilled his duties without complications, shielding the defense admirably and distributing possession smoothly in midfield.

CM: Declan Rice—9.1: Overcame fitness concerns to feature in the starting eleven and demonstrated his value to the leaders with two crucial goals, maintaining his poise to guide the ball past Djordje Petrović twice. Outstanding defensively as well.

RW: Noni Madueke—7.1: Questions were asked when Madueke took Saka's place in the starting lineup, but the summer acquisition was exceptional on the south coast. Created the opener through some brilliant dribbling along the touchline and repeatedly troubled Adrien Truffert.

ST: Viktor Gyökeres—6.6: Another disappointing display for the tall Swede, who lacked the pace or technical ability to pose significant threats to Bournemouth.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli—7.0: Most of Arsenal's dangerous attacks developed down the opposite flank, with Martinelli rarely discovering space to showcase his skills.

Unused substitutes: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christian Nørgaard, Eberechi Eze.

Bournemouth (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI: Djordje Petrović; Álex Jiménez, James Hill, Marcos Senesi, Adrien Truffert; James Tavernier, Alex Scott; David Brooks, Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo; Evanilson.

Substitutes used: Amine Adli, Eli Junior Kroupi, Lewis Cook, Enes Ünal.

Man of the Match: Declan Rice

Bournemouth 2–3 Arsenal: Match Summary at the Vitality Stadium

Defensive lapses have been rare for Arsenal this campaign, but a massive blunder handed Bournemouth their opener. Returning defender Gabriel inexplicably presented the ball to Evanilson with an errant pass, and the forward made no error as he finished past Raya from close quarters.

Atonement arrived within six minutes for the Arsenal center-back, though, as he smashed home the equalizer following chaos in the penalty area. Madueke initiated the box scramble with some superb skill, and Gabriel was perfectly positioned to finish emphatically at the far post.

Arsenal's leveller failed to stem Bournemouth's flow, and the Cherries maintained their pressure on the visitors throughout the remainder of the first period. Their aggressive pressing forced mistakes, and they reached halftime having registered more attempts and expected goals than the table-toppers.

Arsenal's lackluster first-half showing carried into the second half, but Rice sparked the Gunners from nothing nine minutes after the break. Ødegaard set up the England international on the penalty area's edge, and his precise low shot completed the comeback, calming tensions in the visiting section at the Vitality Stadium.

The Gunners understood they couldn't relax with just a single goal advantage, but Rice soon extended their lead. A clever sequence down the right wing released Saka in the box, and the substitute found his teammate, who slotted into an empty net to complete his double.

Bournemouth prospect Kroupi ensured a tense finale for Arsenal as he crashed a long-range effort beyond Raya just two minutes after entering as a substitute, but Arteta's team skillfully managed the remaining time to claim a crucial opening victory of 2026.

Bournemouth vs. Arsenal Half-Time Statistics

Bournemouth vs. Arsenal Final Statistics