Rice Rice Baby! Gunners Star Brace Helps Arsenal Go Six Clear At The Top With Win Over…

Last Updated:January 04, 2026, 07:47 IST

A Rice brace and another goal from Gabriel helped Mikel Arteta and Co. edge out Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium as goals from Evanilson and Eli Junior Kroupi went in vain.

Premier League leaders Arsenal went six points clear at the top of the English top-flight following their 3-2 win over Bournemouth on Saturday.

A Rice brace and another goal from Gabriel helped Mikel Arteta and Co. edge out Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium as goals from Evanilson and Eli Junior Kroupi went in vain.

Evanilson opened the scoring on the day for the Cherries in the 10th minute of the game, before being pegged back on levekl terms by Arsenal defender Gabriel, who netted the ball in from close range after the ball dropped kidly for him six minutes after the opener.

The teams went into the tunnel with nothing between them at the break as the game produced multiple moments of excitment in the second period.

Rice put Arsenal ahead for the first time in the day in the 54th minute as he slotted the ball into the back of the net as Martin Odegaard found the English midfielder inside the box as Arteta’s men took the lead. Rice doubled the Gunners’ lead in the 71st minute with an identical strike, this time after a Bukayo Saka pass.

Junior Kroupi netted for Andoni Iraola’s men in the 76th minute to give the visiting Gunners a nervy final quarter hour, but Arteta and Co. survived as they held on to their advantage to close the game out in positive fashion to take a six point lead over second-placed Aston Villa, who made the climb following their triumph over Nottingham Foresr earlier in the day.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who were pushed to third, have a game in hand against Chelsea on Sunday and can climb back to second ahead of Villa, and close the gap to Arsenal to four points with a win over the Blues, who will be without Enzo Maresca.

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