5 talking points as Havertz finally ends awful Arsenal run in Bournemouth cruise
Arsenal extended their unbeaten start to the season as they cruised to a comfortable 4-0 victory against winless Bournemouth on Saturday.
Bukayo Saka opened the scoring with 17 minutes on the clock as he nodded home from yards out after Gabriel Jesus had hit the post. Max Aarons gave Arsenal the chance to double the lead at the end of the first-half as he brought down Eddie Nketiah in the penalty area.
Martin Odegaard assumed responsibilty and stroked home with aplomb. Kai Havertz then netted his first goal for the Gunners, also from the penalty spot. There was time for Ben White to get in on the action late in the day as he planted home a header from a free-kick to round-off a perfect afternoon from Mikel Arteta's side
Here are all of the talking points from the Vitality Stadium:
Saka scores again
Saka certainly had a North London Derby outing to remember with his goal and assist. He continued his excellent form on the South Coast.
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The wideman was in the right place at the right time to prod the Gunners in front. Odegaard's cross was nodded onto the post by Jesus. It then bounced to Saka who had the simple task of heading into the unguarded net.
It's not a goal that will win any beauty awards but now makes it four goals from his first seven Premier League games of the campaign. The Gunners were left concerned after seeing the winger limp off with 15 minutes to go so will be crossing their fingers that his issue is not too serious.
Bukayo Saka celebrates opening the scoring against Bournemouth (Getty Images)Who was your man-of-the-match in Arsenal's win against Bournemouth? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Penalty precision
It looked as though Saka would have a great chance to double his afternoon's work as the Gunners won a penalty in the closing minutes of the first half. Nketiah raced forwards and drew a clumsy challenge from Aarons.
Saka initially picked up the ball and would have been confident, having taken and scored his side's previous two spot-kicks. At the last moment, he passed the responsibilty onto captain Odegaard.
The Norwegian showed little hesitation as he sent Neto the wrong way and stroked home, giving Arsenal a comfortable and much-deserved two-goal lead heading into the break.
Havertz finally gets first goal
After Arsenal were handed another penalty for Ryan Christie's foul on Odegaard, neither him nor Saka stepped up. Instead, it was former Chelsea star Havertz.
The German forward has received plenty of criticism for his displays for the North London side since his summer switch. It is a sign of how popular he is among his teammates though that he was handed the ball, whilst he was also greeted with plenty of applause from the Gunners' faithful.
Like Odegaard, he sent Neto the wrong way to score his first goal in 20 club appearances - and his first for Arsenal.
Kai Havertz slots home his penalty vs Bournemouth (Getty Images)Rice allays Arsenal fears
There was certainly concern over Declan Rice's fitness ahead of the trip to Bournemouth. Arteta had revealed that the midfielder had not trained in his pre-match press conference after picking up a back issue vs Tottenham.
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There was palpable relief to see him on the teamsheet shortly before kick-off. He once again underlined his importance to the Gunners with yet another impressive showing.
The vast majority of his side's moves went through him. He was also a lynchpin just in front of the Gunners' backline with four tackles and an interception, a block and a clearance apiece. Following that brief scare last week, this was just another underlining of how crucial he already is to the Arsenal side.
Bournemouth's wait goes on
Bournemouth's appointment of Andoni Iraola was one that was widely applauded. After all, the Spaniard had impressed during his previous stint with Rayo Vallecano.
Saturday's showdown with the Gunners would likely have represented a great opportunity for him to chalk up his first Premier League win against another talented Basque schemer in the form of Arteta. Apart from the first few minutes of the opening period, this game was no contest.
Whilst their season will not be defined by defeats to the likes of Arsenal, it leaves the Cherries in the relegation zone with their wait for a win still ongoing - a run they will want to end sooner rather than later.
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