Arsenal show resilient side to overcome Bournemouth
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal extended their unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions on Sunday with a 2-1 victory at Bournemouth that moved them within a point of the Premier League's top four.
The home team's record signing Jefferson Lerma, who cost £25m in August, scored a spectacular own goal to give Arsenal the lead but Norwegian international Josh King, back in the Bournemouth side after injury, equalised just before half-time.
That meant Unai Emery's team have still never led at the halfway stage of a league game since he joined in the close-season.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang slid in the Gunners' second goal in the 68th minute and their three-man back line held out, although Lerma hit a post.
Arsenal can make up ground on their big local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are still three points ahead of them, by winning the north London derby next weekend.
Bournemouth stayed eighth after a third successive defeat in a testing period, with fixtures against Manchester City and Liverpool to come in the first eight days of December.
Reuters
Bournemouth 0-1 Arsenal
33 minutes
Iwobi finds space just outside the box and looks to pick out the top corner. Begovic gets across to save.
Arsenal have done well to establish some control of this game after a slow start.
Bournemouth 0-1 Arsenal
37 minutes
Fraser whips a free kick into Arsenal's box and Cook gets his head on it. It goes wide, but the centre back was offside anyway.
Bournemouth 0-1 Arsenal
38 minutes
Some neat buildup play on the right send Bellerin clear. He pulls the ball back into a dangerous area, but Francis is across to clear. Arsenal are looking dangerous when they go forward.
Bournemouth 0-1 Arsenal
41 minutes
More intricate football from Arsenal on the edge of the Bournemouth box. This time, it falls to Mkhitaryan, who can only pick out Begovic with a weak shot.
Bournemouth 0-1 Arsenal
44 minutes
Bournemouth will probably be thankful to hear the imminent half time whistle. They started superbly, penning Arsenal in, but the away side have gradually grown into the contest and look increasingly threatening.
Bournemouth 0-1 Arsenal
45 minutes
One minute of added time will be played.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-1 Arsenal (King)
45+1 minutes
Moments before the break, Bournemouth are level. Brooks picks out King in space - far too much space from an Arsenal perspective - and the striker picks out the top corner brilliantly.
Half time: And with that, the first half comes to a close. Arsenal looked to be heading in with the lead thanks to Lerma's bizarre own goal, but King's strike has levelled things up. We're all set for an intriguing second half.
Arsenal are still yet to lead a game at half time in the Premier League this season. Clean sheets are proving elusive, too. And they'll be disappointed with the manner of Bournemouth's equaliser. They were left exposed on the break, an all too familiar problem.
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