Bournemouth vs Arsenal. Premier League.
Vitality StadiumAttendance11,357.
Monday 8 February 2016 09:27, UK
Arsenal moved back to within five points of Premier League leaders Leicester with a 2-0 win at Bournemouth on Super Sunday.
The visitors raced into a comfortable lead with two goals in the space of 90 seconds in the first half from Mesut Ozil and then Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, ending a club run of 328 minutes without a league goal.
The result leaves the Gunners in third place, level on points with rivals Tottenham, while Bournemouth sit in 15th, five above the drop zone.
Arsenal made one change from their 0-0 draw against Southampton in midweek, bringing in Oxlade-Chamberlain at the expense of Joel Campbell, while the hosts were unchanged from their win at Crystal Palace.
Bournemouth felt Arsenal's Mathieu Flamini should have been shown a straight red card after eight minutes for a two-footed tackle on Dan Gosling, but referee Kevin Friend settled for a yellow.
And it was Flamini's midfield team-mate Ozil who gave Arsenal the lead on 23 minutes, smashing the ball home from close range on the half volley after Olivier Giroud had knocked down Aaron Ramsey's lofted ball.
It was 2-0 just a minute-and-a-half later, Oxlade-Chamberlain finishing superbly off the far post from a slight angle 15 yards out after he was fed by Ramsey on the right.
Bournemouth came close to scoring moments later, but Petr Cech did superbly to tip over Harry Arter's fierce effort from 18 yards.
The hosts had far more of the possession in the second half, but failed to break down a dogged Arsenal defence, who have now conceded just two goals in five games in all competitions.
Neither side created much in the way of clear-cut chances in the second half until the closing periods, and it was Arsenal who should have scored a third in the final minute.
Racing through on goal with Giroud for support, Ramsey could only find the chest of Artur Boruc from six yards out as Bournemouth left men upfield.
Cech brilliantly saved twice in injury time, first from Steve Cook's fierce close-range effort and then from Arter's low, long-range drive down to his left, to keep the clean sheet.
Player ratings
Arsenal: Cech (8), Bellerin (6), Gabriel (6), Koscielny (7), Monreal (6), Flamini (6), Ramsey (8), Oxlade-Chamberlain (7), Ozil (7), Sanchez (6), Giroud (6).
Subs: Gibbs (6), Walcott (N/A), Campbell, Coquelin (6)
Bournemouth: Boruc (6), Smith (7), Francis (6), Cook (6), Daniels (6), Surman (5), Ritchie (5), Gosling (6), Arter (6), Pugh (6), Afobe (6).
Subs: King (6), Stanislas (6), Grabban (N/A)
Man of the match: Aaron Ramsey
