Alex Iwobi was instrumental for Arsenal on Sunday as the Gunners extended their unbeaten run to 17 with a 2-1 victory at Bournemouth.
Unai Emery was dealt the blow of losing Alexandre Lacazette to a groin injury before the game and for a while Arsenal appeared to miss him, looking wasteful in attack, but they dug deep to claim a deserved triumph.
A spectacular Jefferson Lerma own goal spoiled a decent start from the hosts, but Bournemouth brilliantly restored parity just before the break through Josh King’s stunning strike.
But Eddie Howe’s side was unable to maintain their first-half performance and Arsenal upped the ante, ultimately sealing the victory with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s eighth Premier League goal of the season.
The Cherries thought they had an early opener when David Brooks tucked in from 12 yards in the eighth minute, but he appeared to stray just offside.
Arsenal nearly capitalised less than 60 seconds later, as Lucas Torreira’s 25-yard strike came back off the left-hand post.
The breakthrough did arrive in the 30th minute – Lerma meeting Sead Kolasinac’s low cross with an unstoppable volley which he calamitously fired into his own net.
But King levelled stylishly on the stroke of half-time, picking out the top-left corner after being released into the right side of the area by Brooks at the end of a devastating break.
Arsenal stepped things up after the interval and became increasingly dominant, but Aubameyang blasted a presentable chance over when fed towards the penalty area by the otherwise ineffective Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Aubameyang did not waste his next chance 23 minutes from time, however, tapping in from close range after Kolasinac played the ball across the face of goal on another marauding run.
Lerma almost rescued Bournemouth to make amends for his own goal, but his 30-yard drive late on was denied by the post as Arsenal held firm.
