Declan Rice raced over to the Arsenal fans tucked away into the corner, grabbed the television camera in both hands, and planted a smacker right on the lens. It was not just the broadcaster’s equipment he’d hauled into his clutches but Arsenal’s march to the Premier League title too.
For these are the big moments seized by the best players. When his Arsenal side were huffing and puffing, nervous and edgy, after Gabriel had handed Bournemouth an early lead with shocking backpass that proved even the most level heads wobble sometimes, Rice stepped up with the first brace of his Arsenal career.
With two waves of his right foot, two effortless passes into the bottom corner after late runs towards the penalty area, Arsenal were in front and then two in front with enough breathing room to weather a late storm after Junior Kroupi had pulled one back for Bournemouth.
For even after Arsenal dispatched Aston Villa without him last time out, if is to be Arsenal’s year, Rice made sure he was the man to start it off on the right foot even when it looked as though it could go horribly wrong.
A trip to Bournemouth is no longer the simple task it might once have been. The Cherries did the double over the Gunners last season and it was Andoni Iraola’s side, after all, who were Arsenal’s closest challengers back in October but since then had failed to win any of their last 10 games and title winners, especially ones being chased by Manchester City, have to dispatch such teams.
After City’s slip at Sunderland, this was a chance to open up an eight-point gap on Pep Guardiola’s side before their visit of managerless Chelsea on Sunday and seven on second-placed Aston Villa. One that looked as though it might slip through their fingers and one, thanks to Rice, it was one they eventually took.
Declan Rice raced over to the Arsenal fans tucked away into the corner, grabbed the television camera in both hands, and planted a smacker right on the lens
Antoine Semenyo started despite his looming move to Arsenal’s title rivals Manchester City
Gabriel gifted Bournemouth the lead with a scarcely-believable error when he passed the ball straight to Evanilson for a tap in – but redeemed himself with an equaliser six minutes later
For Arsenal have long had a problem with leading. The last four times they have topped the table at the halfway point of the season, the title has slipped through their grasp. To Manchester United in 2003, Manchester City in 2014 and two years ago, and even Leicester in 2016.
For long periods on the south coast until Rice’s heroics they played like a side that knows it too. Gone was the belligerent Arsenal that looked to have shrugged off any nerves from recent narrow wins by bulldozing Aston Villa. Arsenal looked jittery and edgy. Arteta was even more animated on the touchline than usual as his side gave the ball away and their usual imperious midfield was played through at will by a fervent Bournemouth side buoyed by the knowledge that this was, perhaps, the last time they would see one of their stars.
Before kick-off, the stadium announcer at the Vitality Stadium ran through the list of match mascots and their favourite player. At least half of the kids named Antoine Semenyo as their man. They will soon have to change that.
Semenyo is so close to a move to Manchester City that many wondered whether he would feature. But why wouldn’t he? Injury risk aside, what better way for Pep Guardiola to get the most out of his impending new signing than watching him harm his main title rivals before he’s even pulled on a shirt.
It didn’t take long to see the impact he can make too, as he wriggled into the box inside the first minute and almost got in behind the Arsenal defence. He launched a dangerous long throw into the box, then turned Noni Madueke and dinked in a dangerous cross. He bulldozed Piero Hincapie to the ground with a shoulder barge. You imagine Guardiola was watching on with a glint in his eye.
How that would have sparkled again when he watched Gabriel gift Bournemouth the lead with a scarcely-believable error when he passed the ball straight to Evanilson for a tap in. Who knows what he was thinking. He didn’t even look.
It was his centre-back partner William Saliba whose error cost Arsenal here last season, shown a red card for dragging down Evanilson on the halfway line when the Bournemouth striker was through on goal. This time it was Gabriel, so often the rock on which Arteta’s side is built and one they were so pleased to see return from injury against Villa.
He scored in that game and he made up for his error here, too, firing home an equaliser after Gabriel Martinelli’s shot was rebounded into his path after fine work by Noni Madueke on the right flank.
Arsenal are now a club that has the luxury of being able to rest and rotate even in the heat of a title race. Arteta can give Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, the top scorer in the league in 2025, a breather, knowing he has Martinelli and Madueke to slot in and knowing they can influence games in the way they did for the equaliser.
And he knows that when he can call on fresh legs, they can change games too. While it was Martin Odegaard, back to his best again after injury, who laid on Rice’s first goal, it was Saka who danced into the box for the third to square it for the second.
It’s the sort of interchangeable riches Guardiola has long been able to boast while many of Arsenal’s title challenges in the past have come crumbling down once injury struck some of their best stars. Not any more.
