Arsenal stayed in the title race behind leaders Leicester as goals form Mezut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were enough to see off Bournemouth.
The game started off a slow burner, Alexis Sanchez had the first key chance but the Chilean’s shot ended up well over the bar. The deadlock was eventually broken on the 22nd minute as Mezut Ozil’s neat finish flew past a helpless Artur Boruc to put Arsenal one up.
The Gunners doubled their lead less than a minute later as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first goal in 18 months as the winger buried his shot from a tight angle to put his side firmly in control. Bournemouth had missed chances to get back in the game before the break with Marc Pugh and Adam Smith both finding themselves one-on-one with Petr Cech.
Bournemouth started the second half the more enthusiastic team, Smith yet again had a low effort saved by Cech. There were appeals of a penalty from Bournemouth fans as Dan Gosling’s pass inside the box struck Laurent Koscielny but would have been harsh as the shot appeared to hit his stomach. Deep into injury time and Bournemouth had their best chance of the game, Steve Cook had a powerful shot well-blocked by Cech who was back up on his feet seconds later to deny Harry Arter on the follow-up.
Bournemouth
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