Arsenal prays for Man City slip-up after beating Bournemouth 3-0
Arsenal moved four points clear at the top of the Premier League after Bukayo Saka's penalty and Leandro Trossard's strike gave them a 3-0 win over Bournemouth.
The Gunners were utterly dominant before the break, with William Saliba, Declan Rice, and Saka himself all missing clear chances before in the 43rd minute, Kai Havertz was tripped by away keeper James Travers and the England forward did the rest from the spot.
The Cherries came into it in the second half though, and it took a smart save from David Raya from Dominic Solanke's angled effort to keep the hosts in front - before Rice teed up Trossard to make the points safe. Rice himself fired home a low shot in injury time to round off matters.
The resurgence of Havertz has been lauded, but it's Trossard who has now been elevated from a useful squad player to a key first-team performer.
Like at Brighton, like against Bayern, like on numerous occasions in the latter stages of the season, the Belgian delivered today when his side needed him most, calming nerves with an expertly taken goal after being set up by Rice. It was his 15th goal of the campaign, and only injury will now prevent Mikel Arteta from starting him in Arsenal's final two games.
The standing ovation he received as he made his way off late on was telling. If the Gunners do land this title, then the £20million plus deal negotiated to bring Trossard from the Amex in January 2023 should be viewed as a critical factor.
Before the north London derby last weekend, the narrative around Ben White had been dominated by his England fallout. Then it became about playing with Vicario’s gloves.
And yet, the actual form of the 26-year-old has gone largely unmentioned. Throughout the first half in particular, White again proved there are few better full-backs in the Premier League more adept at timing a run to join an attack, twice expertly overlapping before creating chances in the area.
Arteta's team are the league's top scorer, and yet he will by now be sick of the argument that his side lacks the clinical finish required to elevate them to the next level. Despite a 3-0 win, he’s about to get sicker of it yet.
At one point in the first half, the hosts had commanded 96 percent of possession in five minutes. They battered the Bournemouth goal as Trossard had two efforts blocked - Saliba, Saka, and Thomas Partey were denied by Travers - and Takehiro Tomiyasu and Declan Rice were off target from point-blank range. The relentlessness of the pressure was matched only by the wastefulness of the finishing.
