Mirror
Arsenal continued their perfect start to the season with victory at Bournemouth, moving top of the table in the process.
After opening the campaign with victories against Crystal Palace and Leicester City, a trip to a Bournemouth side who won their first home game of the season could have been a tricky test. Instead, though, two Martin Odegaard goals inside the opening 15 minutes calmed nerves and set the Gunners on their way.
William Saliba made it three in the second half, beating Mark Travers with a classy finish to open his account for the London side and make the points absolutely safe, while a fourth from Gabriel Jesus was chalked off following a VAR check. Three more points for Mikel Arteta’s side lifted them back above their rivals Tottenham, who beat Wolverhampton Wanderers in the day’s early kick-off, and puts the pressure back on Manchester City ahead of the Champions’ meeting with Newcastle United.
Jesus too hot to handle
Martin Odegaard might have finished off the move for Arsenal’s opener, but it was all about Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian danced through the Bournemouth defence before feeding Gabriel Martinelli, and the youngster’s shot was palmed into the path of the captain to make it 1-0.
When Arsenal signed the £45m man from Manchester City, there was an expectation that he could deliver in and around the box in a way which Alexandre Lacazette failed to do last term. However, if he’s able to link up play from deep so effortlessly as well, it will come as a bonus.
Eddie Nketiah might be frustrated by his lack of minutes after signing a bumper new contract over the summer. It’s hard to justify leaving out the former City striker, though, so the academy product may need to be patient.
Odegaard finds his shooting boots
In more than 50 Premier League games before today, Martin Odegaard had never scored twice in the same game. Indeed, you have to all the way back to 2014, when a teenage Odegaard was still playing in Norway, for the last instance of him scoring a league brace.
You wouldn’t have known it from the way he took his goals on the south coast, though. Both were pure instinct, with the Norwegian turning in a rebound for his first and then instantly flash a shot which gave Mark Travers no chance in the Bournemouth goal.
Last season, Arsenal suffered from not having as many goals in the side as some of their rivals. If this becomes the new normal from the captain then it can’t hurt…
