Jefferson Lerma's own goal gave Arsenal the lead, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's finish in the 2nd half netted Arsenal a 2-1 win over Bournemouth.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's second-half goal gave Arsenal a hard-fought 2-1 win at Bournemouth on Sunday that put the Gunners just one point outside the top four in the Premier League.
Aubameyang slid in to poke Sead Kolasinac's cross into the net in the 67th minute after a period of sustained pressure from the Gunners, who once again improved after a poor first half.
Kolasinac had also helped create Arsenal's opener, a spectacular own goal by Jefferson Lerma, before Joshua King equalised on the stroke of half-time by finishing off a quick counter-attack with a fierce strike past Bernd Leno.
The win puts Arsenal one point behind fifth-place Chelsea and took their unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions.
Positives
Arsenal are back to winning ways after three straight league draws, and these three points were much needed in order to not lose more ground to the top four. The performance itself was far from impressive but an away win at Bournemouth is by no means easy to come by and this is the kind of result that Arsenal struggled badly to see out under Arsene Wenger in the last few seasons. It's another sign that they are developing a tougher winning mentality under Unai Emery.
Negatives
There were shades of the "old" Arsenal in the way they conceded a needless equaliser just before the break -- pushing forward with too many men in the box and leaving themselves exposed to a counter with just seconds of stoppage time remaining. It was the kind of mistake that had largely been eradicated under Emery until now but it seems the Gunners have yet to shake off all of their bad habits. That goal also means they have yet to go into the break with a lead in the Premier League this season, a remarkable statistic for a team with top-four ambitions.
Manager rating out of 10
5 -- Emery opted for a back three for the first time in the Premier League but it seemed like a questionable decision as Bournemouth dominated proceedings until Lerma's unlucky own goal. The Gunners struggled to keep possession and often seemed out-manned in midfield. The decision to leave Mesut Ozil on the bench was also surprising and Henrikh Mkhitaryan's performance made it seem like another bad idea.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was named in the Arsenal starting XI ahead of Mesut Ozil.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Bernd Leno, 6 -- Couldn't do much to prevent Bournemouth's goal but made several routine saves and was solid in the air and with his feet. Helped by the post when he was beaten by Lerma's late shot.
DF Shkodran Mustafi, 6 -- Was bailed out by a dubious offside flag after his poor tackle couldn't prevent what seemed like a legitimate goal, and failed to close down Callum Wilson on the equaliser. But also made a number of good interventions to break up play high up the pitch.
DF Rob Holding, 6 -- Looked composed and confident as part of a back three and made a couple of key blocks in the box.
DF Sokratis Papastathopoulos, 7 -- Often got physical with Bournemouth's attackers, using his strength -- and a few borderline tugs and holds -- to deal with their pace. Adds a bit of nasty that has often been missing from Arsenal's back four.
MF Hector Bellerin, 5 -- Was jogging back as Bournemouth launched the counter that led to the equaliser, which is inexcusable for the team's fastest defender.
MF Lucas Torreira, 7 -- Looks more confident with every game and has started to add an attacking threat to his game, striding forward to look for shots from distance. Hit the post with a well-taken strike in the first half and his first Arsenal goal doesn't seem far away.
MF Granit Xhaka, 4 -- Wore the captain's armband but didn't deliver a captain's performance. Too many losses of possession and his struggles were part of the reason why Arsenal couldn't control the midfield.
MF Sead Kolasinac, 6 -- Very good going forward and his crosses led to both Arsenal goals. But he still seems like a bit of a liability defensively, which is probably why Emery opted for a back three in the first place.
MF Henrikh Mkhitaryan, 4 -- Was preferred to Mesut Ozil, somewhat surprisingly, but delivered one of his most disappointing performances of the season. Poor passes, poor finishes, and poor ball control.
MF Alex Iwobi, 7 -- Improved massively after the break when he was Arsenal's most forceful player going forward. Great pass to send Kolasinac racing down the flank helped set up Arsenal's winner.
FW Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 6 -- Cut an isolated figure up front for the opening hour and fired high on two decent chances. But showed his poacher's instincts when he met Kolasinac's cross for a simple finish.
Substitutes
Source: espn.co.uk