Bournemouth 2-3 Arsenal: Bukayo Saka creates history as Mikel Arteta earns crucial win in Premier League title race

Bukayo Saka moved level with Cesc Fabregas as the player with the joint sixth most goal contributions for Arsenal in Premier League history.

The Gunners beat Bournemouth 3-2 on Saturday, increasing their lead at the top of the table over Manchester City to seven points.

Mikel Arteta's side had to come from behind after conceding in the 10th minute, but a goal from Gabriel Magalhaes and two from Declan Rice gave his team all three points.

Winger Saka was brought off the bench in the second half and managed to assist one of Rice's strikes, and that was his 105th direct goal involvement for the club in the Premier League.

Only Thierry Henry (249), Dennis Bergkamp (181), Robin van Persie (135), Ian Wright (123) and Theo Walcott (108) have registered more combined goals and assists in the Premier League for Arsenal, and one more would take Saka above Fabregas (105).

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Are Arsenal showing signs of Premier League champions?

As the old adage goes, it is a sign of champions to win without playing well, and the Gunners have consistently shown they can dig out positive results.

The club were pegged back by Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier in December, but they managed to claim all three points.

While they did boast a two-goal lead against Bournemouth on Saturday, they were still able to resist pressure from the Cherries after the hosts scored their second.

If Arsenal are to win the title, they must continue to demonstrate resilience as they will almost certainly face more difficulties between now and the end of the season.

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Will Manchester City catch Arsenal and win the title?

Manchester City face a difficult clash against Chelsea on Sunday, though the Blues will be without manager Enzo Maresca on the touchline after he was dismissed.

As both Arsenal and Liverpool have found out during Pep Guardiola's tenure, the Citizens have often been better in the second half of seasons, and it would not be surprising if they improved further in 2026.

Arteta oversaw 16 wins, one draw and just one defeat in his team's last 18 Premier League games of the 2023-24 campaign, but it was still not enough to get the better of City, who won 19 of their final 23 league fixtures that term.

The return of Rodri from injury and the expected arrival of Antoine Semenyo will make Guardiola's squad even more dangerous, and the title may be decided when Arsenal face his side at the Etihad in April.