Arsenal increased their lead at the top of the table to four points after beating Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, May 4. Last Word on Football brings you five things we learned from the Gunners’ win over the Cherries.
Five Things We Learnt From Arsenal Beating Bournemouth
Securing all three points in N5 ✊ pic.twitter.com/n8fLP7hR8c
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 4, 2024
Declan Rice Is a Swiss Army Knife
Declan Rice was all over the park against Andoni Iraola’s side on Saturday. The Englishman has proven to be a bargain buy for the North London side despite costing a club record £105 million.
The 25-year-old was tracking back to help in defense while also popping in the box to support the attackers. His late run into the penalty area set up Leandro Trossard’s goal to help ease nerves among Arsenal fans. This was also evident from his well-taken goal in injury time of the second half.
Rice has also taken over corner duties from Gabriel Martinelli this season, a particular area of strength for the Gunners.
Thomas Partey Is Going Under the Radar
The Ghanaian midfielder returned from injury early in April and has since made three important starts against Chelsea, Tottenham, and Bournemouth. His presence in the heart of the midfield has enabled Rice to venture further into the final third of the pitch.
Partey has also been an important part in Arsenal’s ability to play out from the back starting from their goalkeeper and the former Atletico Madrid man has taken over admirably from Jorginho.
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Ben White Is Probably England’s Best Right Back at the Moment
When Ben White was acquired from Brighton and Hove Albion in 2021, he was bought as a central defender. Thanks to the rise of William Saliba, he has had to play as a right-back from last season.
Over the course of the two years, he has become a dependable player for Arteta on the right flank. The Englishman has scored four goals and chipped in with five assists this season, which included a brace against their London rivals Chelsea in April.
Fans of the England national team would be hoping that his situation with Gareth Southgate changes and that he is called up to the national squad ahead of the Euros in the summer.
Bukayo Saka Continues His Prolific Season
Saka has no doubt been the club’s talisman in their hunt for silverware in recent times. This season the 22-year-old is enjoying his best season yet in the Premier League. He has 16 goals in Arsenal’s domestic campaign two more than last year and five more than the year before.
The young English winger has also been a key figure of the national team and is set to play an important role at the Euros later this year. Whether he can lead the Gunners to glory this season remains to be seen.
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Arsenal Are Not the Same Team of Last Year
The North London side were leading for the majority of the 2022/23 league season before succumbing to injuries, fatigue, inexperience, and poor form towards the end of the year. However, the team this year is not the same.
Armed with their experience from last year and the Champions League this season, Arteta’s side are pushing defending champions Manchester City all the way to the end this season. The Spanish manager has managed his squad better this season and the substitutes have also stepped up at crucial moments in the season.
Bournemouth may have been a team that the Gunners were expected to beat, but the manner in which Arsenal took care of the job, was admirable indeed.
