Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s second-half strike earned Arsenal a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Bournemouth ending their winless run of three games. The victory also helped Arsenal move within a point of fourth-placed Chelsea and eight behind leaders Manchester City.
The visitors took an unexpected lead inside 30 minutes into the match after a comical own goal by Jefferson Lerma, who stuck his foot out to redirect Sead Kolasinac’s low cross into the net.
But Bournemouth bounced back in the final minute of extra-time when Joshua King got to the end of a David Brooks to slash home the equaliser after Brooks was fed by Callum Wilson from a counter. It meant that as good as Arsenal has been this season they are still to lead at interval this season.
Earlier the home side had broken the deadlock inside seven minutes when Brooks slotted home past Bernard Leno, but the goal controversially ruled off-side with replays showing that Shkodran Mustafi had played Brooks onside.
They had, however, most of their momentum to pull the trigger on Arsenal and equalise after Brooks finished off a swift counter-attacking move.
With both sides still tied at 1-1, the game was anyone’s to take and Arsenal pounced on it to clinch all three points. After his comedy of errors defending in the first half hour, Lerma nearly gifted another in the second half when he gifted the ball away to Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who played in Aubayameyang inside the box, only for the Gabon striker to mishit from close range in the 65th minute.
He would eventually find the net just 60 seconds later from another of Kolasinac’s low-cross after Alex Iwobi had sent the fullback through.
It was Arsenal’s first away victory at Bournemouth after three years. Meanwhile, the home team remained on eighth just one-point off Manchester United.
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