The Gunners on the South Coast narrowed their deficit to Premier League leaders Manchester City thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka, Ben White, and two penalties against a miserable Cherries team.

On Saturday, Arsenal easily defeated winless Bournemouth 4-0 to maintain their undefeated start to the season.

With seventeen minutes remaining, Bukayo Saka scored the first goal by nodding in from a distance after Gabriel Jesus had struck the crossbar. At the end of the first half, Max Aarons took down Eddie Nketiah in the penalty area, giving Arsenal the opportunity to double their lead.

With poise, Martin Odegaard took over and made his point. Then, Kai Havertz scored the Gunners’ opening goal, likewise from the penalty spot. Ben White had a chance to participate late in the game, capping off a flawless afternoon for Mikel Arteta’s team with a header from a free kick.

The Vitality Stadium’s talking points are all included below:

Saka scores again

Saka’s score and assist made his North London Derby appearance one to remember. He carried on his strong performance to the South Coast.

To poke the Gunners in front, the wideman was in the right place at the right time. Jesus nodded Odegaard’s cross onto the post. After that, it bounced to Saka, whose only job was to head into the open net.

Although it’s not a particularly pretty goal, it brings his tally of goals from the season’s opening seven Premier League games to four. With fifteen minutes remaining, the winger hobbled off, worrying the Gunners, who will be hoping his problem is not too serious.

Penalty precision

At the end of the first half, Saka appeared to have a wonderful opportunity to treble his afternoon’s effort when the Gunners won a penalty. Aarons made a foolish challenge after Nketiah dashed forward.

Saka won his team’s last two spot-kicks, so he would have been confident when he first picked up the ball. He transferred the responsibility to Captain Odegaard at the eleventh hour.

The Norwegian scored with no hesitation, sending Neto the wrong way and giving Arsenal a well-earned two-goal lead going into halftime.

Havertz finally gets first goal

Neither Ryan Christie nor Saka took the field when Arsenal was awarded another penalty for Ryan Christie’s foul on Odegaard. Rather, it was Havertz, the former star of Chelsea.

The German forward’s performances for the North London team since his summer transfer have drawn a lot of criticism. He was given the ball and received a standing ovation from the Gunners supporters, which is a testament to his popularity among his colleagues.

Similar to Odegaard, he scored his first goal for Arsenal and his first goal in 20 club appearances by sending Neto the wrong way.

Rice allays Arsenal fears

Declan Rice’s fitness was undoubtedly a worry before the trip to Bournemouth. In his pregame press conference, Arteta had disclosed that the midfield player had not trained since developing a back problem against Tottenham.

Just before kickoff, there was a tangible sense of relief to see him on the team sheet. He put on another strong performance to highlight his significance to the Gunners.

Most of the actions made by his side passed through him. In addition, he was a key player right in front of the Gunners’ defense, recording four tackles, an interception, a block, and a clearance each. This was just further evidence of how important he already is to the Arsenal team, especially in light of that momentary scare last week.

Bournemouth’s wait goes on

The decision by Bournemouth to choose Andoni Iraola was well praised. Ultimately, the Spaniard had demonstrated promise during his prior tenure at Rayo Vallecano.

In Saturday’s match against the Gunners, he would have had a wonderful chance to defeat Arteta, another skilled Basque schemer, and record his first Premier League victory. This was no contest, save for the first few minutes of the first half.

Although losses to teams like Arsenal won’t define their season, it does put the Cherries in the relegation zone and prolongs their winless streak, which they will hope to snap sooner rather than later.