Arsenal strengthened their position at the top of the Premier League with a 3-2 win over Bournemouth on Saturday night, six points clear of the Gunners.
Arsenal overcame an early setback and a late breakthrough from Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium to strengthen their position at the top of the Premier League. A goal from Gabriel Magalhães and a brace from Declan Rice secured the victory, sandwiched between goals from Evanilson and Eli Junior Crupi.
Despite a 10-game winless streak, the Cherries are showing promise at home, as evidenced by a strong start to the game. Evanilson took advantage of a clear mistake by Gabriel to put his team ahead just 10 minutes into the match.
However, the Gunners defender pounced on a loose ball and recovered just after 15 minutes after some excellent work from Noni Madueke.
The Cherries managed to keep Arsenal at bay for the remainder of the first half, but fell behind ten minutes into the second half when Rice, assisted by Martin Odegaard, fired a shot past Jorde Petrovic.
Bukayo Saka made an immediate impact just four minutes into the game, setting up Rice’s second goal of the game. Crupi’s stunning shot made for a tense finale for the visiting team, but they persevered and won their fifth consecutive league match.
The three points were crucial for Arsenal given Aston Villa’s victory over Nottingham Forest before Manchester City faced Chelsea. With all this in mind, Mirror Sport has looked at the upcoming matches between Arsenal, Man City and Villa.
Arsenal’s upcoming 5 Premier League matches
Liverpool (H) – January 8
Nottingham Forest (A) – January 17
Manchester United (H) – January 25th
Leeds United (A) – January 31
Sunderland (H) – February 7
Verdict: The Gunners will next face reigning champions Liverpool at the Emirates. Mikel Arteta’s side are likely to come out on top, given the stark contrast in both teams’ seasons since their last meeting.
Arsenal will then travel to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest, who are currently in a relegation battle. They then return to their home ground to take on Manchester United before finishing off January with an away game against Leeds United. February begins with Sunderland’s visit to the Emirates.
Manchester City’s 5 upcoming Premier League matches
Chelsea (H) – January 4
Brighton (H) – January 7
Man United (A) – January 17
Wolves (H) – January 24th
Tottenham (A) – February 1st
Verdict: Considering the upcoming fixtures, Man City could soon be chasing Arsenal hard. Josep Guardiola’s side have two home games at the Etihad against Chelsea and Brighton.
They will then head to Old Trafford for the Manchester derby as they aim to seal a domestic double against Manchester United. Wolves, who are yet to win away from home, will visit the Etihad at the end of the month.
February begins with a trip to Tottenham, with City looking to avoid a repeat of their 2-0 defeat.
Aston Villa’s 5 upcoming Premier League matches
Crystal Palace (A) – January 7
Everton (H) – January 18
Newcastle (A) – January 25th
Brentford (H) – February 1st
Bournemouth (A) – February 7
Verdict: Villa will be relieved to have returned to winning form given the challenges ahead. First up is the match against Crystal Palace. The team is currently on a six-game winning streak, but has not won in the past six meetings.
Next up, Everton visit Villa Park. It may look like an easy game on paper, but the Toffees have only lost one of their last six away games. The final league match of the month will be at St James’s Park, but it is unlikely to end in a goalless draw like the opening match.
Villa host Brentford in their first game of February, taking on Bournemouth, who have only lost twice in the league this season, at the Vitality Stadium.
