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Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Bournemouth: Rice Dazzles in Five-Goal Thriller

Arsenal were made to work hard by Bournemouth on their journey to the south coast.

Ewan Ross-Murray

Declan Rice (right) was the difference-maker for Arsenal.
Declan Rice (right) was the difference-maker for Arsenal. / Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Two second-half strikes from Declan Rice helped Arsenal clinch a crucial 3–2 victory over Bournemouth to move further clear at the Premier League’s summit.

Gabriel took centre stage during a tense first half for Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium in which Bournemouth caused them plenty of issues. An awful blunder gifted Evanilson the opening goal but the Brazilian turned from villain to hero shortly afterwards as he powered home an equaliser.

It was Rice who stole the show after the restart as he produced two composed finishes in the space of 16 minutes to offer Arsenal breathing room, with the table toppers holding on for three precious points despite a wonderful strike from Eli Junior Kroupi.

The result moves Mikel Arteta’s men six points clear of second-placed Aston Villa and seven ahead of Manchester City—the latter able to close the gap when they face managerless Chelsea on Sunday.

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

Gabriel
Gabriel was at the heart of things for Arsenal. / David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: David Raya—5.9: Despite Bournemouth’s counter attacking promise, Raya was rarely tested in between the sticks. No wonder saves were required on this occasion and he was helpless with both goals conceded.

RB: Jurriën Timber—7.3: Provided energy down the right-hand side and was always on hand to support both Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka.

CB: William Saliba—6.5: Rarely stretched by Evanilson, who did little after opening the scoring, and was somewhat unfortunate to end up shipping two goals.

CB: Gabriel—6.6: A horrendous mistake gifted the hosts their early lead but he swiftly made amends with his fourth goal of the season across all competitions. Steadied himself after a nervy start.

LB: Piero Hincapié—6.8: Handled Antoine Semenyo effectively as he filled in for the absent Riccardo Calafiori and held his own in individual duels.

CM: Martin Ødegaard—7.9: Grabbed an assist for the second and provided a sumptuous pass in the build-up to the third. Another encouraging and lively display from the captain, who is finding form at the perfect moment.

CM: Martín Zubimendi—8.1: Completed his assignment with little fuss, screening the back four effectively and recycling possession efficiently in the engine room.

CM: Declan Rice—9.1: Battled injury to make the starting lineup and underscored his importance to the leaders with two timely strikes, keeping his composure to caress beyond Djordje Petrović on both occasions. Brilliant from a defensive standpoint, too.

RW: Noni Madueke—7.1: Eyebrows were raised as Madueke replaced Saka in the XI but the summer signing was terrific on the south coast. Forced the opener with some delightful dribbling on the byline and consistently caused issues for Adrien Truffert.

ST: Viktor Gyökeres—6.6: Another frustrating outing for the towering Swede, who lacked the athleticism or technical quality to cause too many problems for Bournemouth.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli—7.0: The bulk of Arsenal’s promising moments came down the other wing, with Martinelli seldom finding much room to work his magic.

Substitute

Rating

Gabriel Jesus (66’ for Gyökeres)

6.5

Leandro Trossard (66’ for Martinelli)

5.7

Bukayo Saka (66’ for Madueke)

7.5

Mikel Merino (80’ for Ødegaard)

6.7

Subs not used: 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.

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

Player of the Match: Declan Rice

Bournemouth 2–3 Arsenal: How It Unfolded at the Vitality Stadium

Individual errors have been few and far between in the Arsenal defence this season but an almighty howler handed Bournemouth their lead. Recent returnee Gabriel inexplicably gifted the ball to Evanilson with a miscued pass and the striker made no mistake as he slotted beyond Raya from close range.

Redemption took just six minutes for the Arsenal centre back, however, as he rifled home an equaliser following a goal-mouth scramble. Madueke prompted the penalty-box pinball following some excellent footwork and Gabriel was on hand to convert emphatically at the back post.

Arsenal’s equaliser didn’t halt Bournemouth’s momentum and the Cherries continued to cause problems for their visitors as the first half progressed. The intensity of their press forced errors and they entered the break having racked up more shots and expected goals than the league leaders.

Arsenal’s flat first-half performance seeped into the second period but Rice energised the Gunners out of nowhere nine minutes after the restart. Ødegaard teed up the Englishman on the edge of the penalty area and his ruthless low drive completed the turnaround, easing nerves in the away end at the Vitality Stadium.

The Gunners knew they could take nothing for granted with only one goal separating the sides but Rice soon widened the gap. An intricate move down the right flank freed Saka in the penalty area and the substitute picked out his compatriot, who rolled into a gaping goal to double his tally.

Bournemouth youngster Kroupi set up an uneasy finish for Arsenal as he thundered an effort past Raya from range just two minutes after arriving off the bench, but Arteta’s side expertly ran down the clock to secure a critical first triumph of 2026.

Bournemouth vs. Arsenal Half-Time Stats

Statistic

Bournemouth

Arsenal

Possession

37%

63%

Expected Goals (xG)

1.13

0.51

Total Shots

8

5

Shots on Target

1

1

Big Chances

1

1

Pass Accuracy

76%

85%

Fouls Committed

5

4

Corners

4

1

Bournemouth vs. Arsenal Full Time Stats

Statistic

Bournemouth

Arsenal

Possession

43%

57%

Expected Goals (xG)

1.34

1.17

Total Shots

15

12

Shots on Target

3

5

Big Chances

1

2

Pass Accuracy

77%

80%

Fouls Committed

13

8

Corners

7

5

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Ewan Ross-Murray
EWAN ROSS-MURRAY

Ewan Ross-Murray is a Sports Illustrated Soccer freelance writer who focuses primarily on the Premier League. Ewan was born in Leicester, but his heart, and club allegiance, belongs to Liverpool.

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