Odegaard inspires Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Bournemouth

Arsenal's Declan Rice scores the side's second goal against Bournemouth (Image: PA Images) <i>(Image: PA Images)</i>
Arsenal's Declan Rice scores the side's second goal against Bournemouth (Image: PA Images) (Image: PA Images)
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Arsenal beat Bournemouth 3-2 on Saturday evening, fighting from behind with star performances from the midfield.

The Gunners went behind early after a mistake from Gabriel, lazily playing the ball across the edge of his own penalty area, only to find Evanilson staring down the goal. 

 But Arsenal battled back well, with the fans singing Gabriel's name, the team responding by upping the tempo and taking control of the game, and Gabriel himself popping up with the equaliser just a few minutes later. 

A few mistakes, and consequently easy goals, have been creeping into the Arsenal defence in recent games, which is a concern that Mikel Arteta must address, but if they're going to happen, the Arsenal response has to follow the example against Bournemouth.

We've also seen captain Martin Odegaard back to his best in the past few games, helping to pull the strings and popping up with an assist against the Cherries for the first of Declan Rice's two goals. 

Odegaard's recent form has come at a crucial time, lifting the squad during the busy fixture run, as fatigue has set in and tough games have come quickly, and it's a great representation of what the Arsenal hierarchy have been building.

Last season after his injury, Odegaard was rushed back and struggled for form for months while he got back to full speed. This time around, Eberechi Eze plugged the game, helped Arsenal pick up several important points and provides top level competition which is clearly pushing Odegaard to play his best football.

On the flip side, it's led to Eze not getting a minute in the League since the Wolves game on December 13.

Eze's an excellent footballer and has already made an important impact at Arsenal, but that impact will come just as much off the pitch as it will on, as we've seen Leandro Trossard playing his best football off the left and Odegaard return to form in the middle.

All of which has contributed to Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League. 

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