ARSENE WENGER insisted the stakes could not have been higher yesterday. Next stop? The title favourites.
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| Mesut Ozil celebrates his goal against Bournemouth |
Goals from Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – scored within a minute of each other midway through the first half – were enough to draw a line under an alarming run that had threatened to undermine the Gunners’ season.
But after a first win in five league games, manager Wenger insisted Arsenal’s title challenge was back on track ahead of Sunday’s showdown at the Emirates with the leaders
“Of course we needed a result, for two reasons,” said Wenger. “One, we haven’t won for a while, we had four games without a win. When you play at the top, that’s a long period, confidence drops a little bit.
“And Leicester running away and us playing them next week, to make the game interesting, it was very important for us to win today.
“Look, in one week Leicester have beaten Liverpool and Man City. So that means suddenly they become the favourite in the league. That makes our game on Sunday a very big one.”
It helped Arsenal’s cause that referee Kevin Friend decided Mathieu Flamini’s early challenge on Dan Gosling was worthy of a yellow card while Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was adamant it should have been red.
But Wenger – who disagreed with Howe – was concerned only with the outcome of this game as his side showed the resilience required to draw a line under a nightmare January.
Top at the turn of the year, Wenger’s side faced Bournemouth where another defeat would leave eight points adrift of Claudio Ranieri’s side.
Instead, they will confront Leicester knowing victory will move them to within two points of the leaders.
His side’s dip in form has prompted familiar questions about their ability to sustain a challenge.
But Wenger said: “We cannot control people’s opinions. We can just control our performances and to show that we believe in it and that we have the level to do it. There’s still a very long way to go.
“We have a big game at home now against them (Leicester), and I believe we have enough quality and nerves to deal with that.”
Wenger’s side showed enough composure to keep a spirited Bournemouth at arm’s length after taking control of the game in the first half.
Petr Cech produced a number of high-quality saves but for the most part the goalkeeper was well protected as Arsenal showed the defensive resolve required against a team fighting to keep clear of the bottom three.
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| Mesut Ozil giving Arsenal the lead against Bournemouth |
But it was up front where the manager needed to see signs his team had rediscovered its cutting edge.
And while this was by no means Arsenal at their attacking best, they did enough to silence talk of a goal-drought.
Things might well have been different if Flamini had been sent off in the eighth minute after a forceful two-footed challenge on Gosling.
Howe said: “It was a straight red, a simple decision. I was surprised when referee only produced a yellow.
“I haven’t seen a reply but it was two-footed and Dan could have been seriously injured on another occasion.”
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| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain celebrates scoring Arsenal's second goal against Bournemouth |
Wenger’s view? “Honestly I felt even at the start it was free-kick for us,” said the Frenchman. “Flamini was first on the ball. I didn’t see how high his feet were, he was first on the ball.”
Bournemouth had more to concern them in the 23rd minute when Aaron Ramsey clipped a ball towards Olivier Giroud at the far post and the forward headed down into the path of Ozil who finished emphatically.
A minute later, Ramsey again found himself in the role of creator, releasing Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right-hand side of the box where the midfielder sent an angled shot beyond Artur Boruc for his first league goal in September 2014.
Bournemouth offered more substantial resistance after the break but could not find a way to loosen Arsenal’s grip on the game.
The bigger test lies ahead at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Bournemouth (4-1-4-1):Boruc 6; Smith 8, Francis 5, Cook 5, Daniels 6; Surman 8; Ritchie 5 (Stanislas 66, 6), Gosling 7 (King 66, 6) , Arter 7, Pugh 7; Afobe 6 (Grabban 77). NEXT UP: Stoke (h), Sat PL.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech 8; Bellerin 6, Gabriel 7, Koscielny 7, Monreal 6; Flamini 6, Ramsey 8; Oxlade-Chamberlain 7 (Coquelin 67, 6), Ozil 9, Sanchez 6 (Gibbs 81); Giroud 6 (Walcott 90). Booked: Flamini. Goals: Ozil 23, Oxlade-Chamberlain 24 NEXT UP: Leicester (h,) Sun PL.
REFEREE: K Friend (Leicester)
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