Premier League Leaders Arsenal Overcome Early Hurdle in 2-1 Win Over Bournemouth

Arsenal came from behind to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday, with Declan Rice scoring twice and sparking joy among the Gunners faithful. The visitors struggled to find their footing in the opening stages of the match, but they were gifted an early opportunity when Bournemouth’s goalkeeper made an uncharacteristic error. The Arsenal midfielder quickly capitalized on the mistake, lashing home a low shot from just outside the box that left the Bournemouth goalkeeper with no chance. Despite going ahead through Rice’s opener, the Gunners continued to be frustrated by the Cherries’ resistance, and it was Bournemouth who took advantage of their opponents’ lack of focus to level the scores. A well-worked move down the left wing ended with a pinpoint accurate cross that was met by the unmarked Ryan Fraser at the far post. Bournemouth’s second goal had sparked hopes among their supporters that they might be able to hold on for a valuable point, but Arsenal’s response was decisive. After being camped out in the Bournemouth half for much of the match, the Gunners suddenly burst into life with two minutes left on the clock. The first came from Martin Odegaard, who collected a pass on the edge of the box and unleashed a powerful shot that crashed against the crossbar before rebounding to his teammate. The second goal was just as decisive, with Gabriel Jesus rising highest in the penalty area to meet a corner kick that had been headed towards him by Bukayo Saka. The victory marked another triumph for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side, who have now taken their lead at the top of the Premier League table with 22 points from their first 10 matches.