Danny Welbeck scored twice as Arsenal beat Bournemouth 3-0 and Alexis Sanchez returned to Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Alexis
Sanchez returned to a mixed reception as Arsenal eased a tense Emirates
Stadium with two first-half goals in a 3-0 Premier League win over
Bournemouth.
Sanchez was back on club duty,
having seen his push for a move to Manchester City fall flat before the
transfer deadline amid a miserable international break with Chile, and
made way for Alexandre Lacazette in the starting XI, before emerging to a
mixture of cheers and jeers in the second period.
A
4-0 thrashing at Liverpool a fortnight previously and uncertainty over
Sanchez’s situation had seen Arsene Wenger come under pressure just
months into a new two-year contract, but his players rediscovered their
groove to comfortably dispatch Eddie Howe’s strugglers.
Danny
Welbeck nodded in with Arsenal’s first attack and laid on a second for
Lacazette, before finishing again himself after the break.
Wenger
had talked up his side as title contenders before kick-off and the
reaction on the pitch was promising – even if it would be unfair to
evaluate the accuracy of the manager’s claim against a Bournemouth
outfit that scarcely looked like landing a blow.
Howe’s
men remain in the bottom three after four defeats this season, while
Arsenal move onto six points ahead of a tough week which sees Cologne
visit London in the Europa League before Wenger takes his side to
champions Chelsea.
Arsenal’s nerves were
settled by a goal within six minutes, the recalled Sead Kolasinac making
the difference with an incisive run and cross on the left to tee up
Welbeck for a close-range header.
Asmir Begovic
parried Granit Xhaka’s low strike clear as Kolasinac made progress
again, before the goalkeeper saved brilliantly from a Mesut Ozil
free-kick.
Xhaka then failed to keep his
20-yard effort down after Lacazette’s fine hold-up play as Arsenal
continued to pile the pressure on the floundering visitors.
And
Lacazette deservedly doubled the hosts’ lead shortly before the
half-hour mark with a cool finish high past Begovic from Welbeck’s pass.
Lacazette
could have scored again 10 minutes later when Begovic hurriedly hacked a
clearance against Welbeck, but the former Chelsea man smothered the
subsequent shot before accosting Tyrone Mings for a shoddy back pass.
While
Bournemouth were slightly fortunate to escape a penalty award as Adam
Smith handled Ozil’s volley, the visitors regrouped at the break and
initially threatened as Jermain Defoe crashed a header against the post.
But
Welbeck’s 50th-minute goal – fired hard and low across Begovic from the
left-hand side of the area – ensured Arsenal would cruise through the
remainder of the second-half.
Ozil thrashed
wide and Welbeck lifted a delicate right-footed just beyond the
left-hand upright, with Wenger then introducing Sanchez from the bench
15 minutes from time.
The Chilean could not get
on the scoresheet despite one stoppage-time effort – well saved by
Begovic – but sections of the home fans chanted his name throughout the
closing stages.
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