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Arsenal maintained their record of not losing a Premier League game in which they had a two-goal lead at half-time since November 2010 (at home to Spurs) |
Mesut Ozil lashed the ball home from 12 yards for the Gunners' opener, before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain drifted in from the right and scored with a low shot.
Bournemouth played some slick football at times and had more attempts at goal, but their finishing was poor.
Matt Ritchie was the chief culprit, with none of his five shots on target.
"Back to basics for Arsenal. Petr Cech made a huge difference with the clean sheet mentality and nothing went past Gabriel. After going 2-0 up in the first half it was an old-fashioned display of defensive quality. And the same again might just work well for them against Leicester next week."
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, speaking to Sky Sports: "The game was won in the first half really. The boys responded really well and we go back to winning ways. Hopefully we can keep this run going now.
"I am pleased for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. It was a good performance from him today and hopefully he can keep up the form."
Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini, speaking to Sky Sports: "It was a good team effort. I am very happy for the team. We have a tough game next week against Leicester and we have to win it."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, speaking to BBC Sport: "We had a strong start, with good finishing and we controlled the game. We beat a good side, it was three difficult points but three very important points for us because we had not won for a while.
"We lost a bit of our urgency in the second half. We lost the killer instinct to get the third goal and on top of that Bournemouth are physically a strong team.
"It was a must-win game for us today. Leicester have made a big impression in the last week after their results. They suddenly become the favourite in the Premier League and it makes our game a big game."
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe, speaking to BBC Sport: "We were slow out the blocks today, which is unlike us. If you give a team like Arsenal time on the ball they will punish you.
"We were much-improved in the second half without getting that goal to put them under pressure. We kept going, kept fighting, and if we had got that goal back with say 20 minutes to go, it would have made for an interesting finish. We got into some really good positions without the cutting edge we have had in recent weeks."
