Aside from the Champions League opener, Arsenal have not had an easy time in the Premier League.
While they are unbeaten, they have dropped points at home twice and looked a bit off pace in some outings. That was until Saturday afternoon at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth.
The Gunners took an early lead through a Bukayo Saka header and never looked back. Two penalty conversions and a Ben White header in the box gave the Gunners a comfortable 4-0 victory. It was a much-needed complete performance from the Gunners.
The ‘cherry’ (pun intended) on top was that Man City dropped all three points in the Midlands losing to Wolverhampton.
3 reactions from Arsenal’s 4-0 victory at Bournemouth
Here are 3 reactions from Arsenal’s victory over Bournemouth.
1. Clean bill of health for some
There were plenty of fitness concerns for Arsenal coming in. We knew Thomas Partey and Gabriel Martinelli would not be available. But there were some questions about whether Saka, Declan Rice, and Leandro Trossard would be in action.
Rice and Saka started, while Trossard was on the bench, easing Gooner nerves pre-match. Rice looked smooth in the midfield providing cover for Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz, and Saka worked his usual magic out wide.
Both are pivotal to Arsenal’s success this season, so it was good to see both perform. However, with the Gunners already up 3-0, Saka looked like he picked up a knock. With two massive matches next week, one must wonder why the manager kept Saka on, especially considering he was an injury doubt heading into this one.
Hopefully, it will not affect him for either match.
Havertz is off the mark. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
2. The Kai Havertz moment
Havertz has, quite frankly, been a disappointment so far this season. However, he may have had his best match as a Gunner on Saturday.
He looked forceful in the press and was decisive in the midfield for the most part. He did have a moment where he gave up the ball and allowed the Cherries to counter, but it did not lead to much. He got his first Arsenal moment when Odegaard won Arsenal’s second penalty of the day. He converted the penalty and you could see the jubilation from him and his teammates. Sometimes, all it takes is seeing the ball go into the net. For Gunner fans, one can only hope that is the spark that Havertz needs.
With a lot of big matches on the horizon, Arsenal could use an in-form Havertz.
3. Raya looks like the number 1 moving forward
David Raya had a quiet day but was on point when needed. He made a couple of solid saves. Though he wasn’t in danger much, he was there when called upon. He also was decisive and excellent on the ball in the build-up. He was confident with the high ball and even sprung an attack with his vision picking out Oleksandr Zinchenko which led to a good attack from Arsenal.
It will be interesting to see how Raya handles an on-the-road European crowd and the massive match with City at the Emirates over the next week.