Bournemouth v Arsenal ratings: Senesi 4, Lerma 5; Odegaard 9, Jesus 8

Gunners impress as they top the Premier League, but Arteta stays calm

BOURNEMOUTH RATINGS: Mark Travers 6 – Could do very little about either of Martin Odegaard’s strikes or William Saliba’s inch-perfect third. The Irishman did command his area very well, however. Getty

Chris Mepham 5 – A tough day for the towering defender, who played on the right side of a back three. His lack of mobility was an issue against the travelling side’s front three. Getty

Marcos Senesi 4 – Not the introduction to the Premier League that the former Feyenoord man was looking for. He was bullied off the ball by Gabriel Jesus for Arsenal’s opener and was unceremoniously hooked off at half-time. Reuters

Lloyd Kelly 6 – Rescued the home side on several occasions with headed clearances, although his positioning could have been better. Reuters

Adam Smith 5 – Playing at wing-back, the 31-year-old had the unenviable task of trying to contain Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian had the better of his opponent, who looked well off the pace early on. Action Images

Jefferson Lerma 5 – Was hardly able to get on the ball in the first period, as the away side controlled proceedings. AP

Philip Billing 6 – Spent much of the game playing as a second forward, as Scott Parker tried to provide support for lone striker Kieffer Moore. With little to feed off, this was largely futile. Reuters

Jordan Zemura 5 – Was booked in the first half for a rash tackle on Jesus, having previously failed to track Ben White’s overlapping run for Arsenal’s second goal. AP

Marcus Tavernier 5 – An underwhelming display from the summer signing. In Tavernier’s defence, he was feeding off scraps for much of the game, with little in the way of support when he attempted to spring counter-attacks. AFP

Ben Pearson 5 – Drifted out of the game for large spells from wide, which led to him being replaced at the half-time break. AFP

Kieffer Moore 6 – Found himself isolated as he was generally starved of aerial balls in and around the opposition penalty area. A tough outing, although you can’t fault the forward’s willingness to tirelessly run the channels. Getty

Lewis Cook 7 – Looked calm and composed centrally for the hosts, helping them to regain control in the middle of the park. AFP

SUBS: Jaidon Anthony 5 – Lacked sharpness and end product, having come on for Pearson at the break. PA

Ryan Christie 6 – Quite lively in spells, whipping in a handful of decent crosses for Moore to try and head home. Reuters

ARSENAL RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale 6 – Had one or two shaky moments, normally with his distribution. That aside, the England international was largely untested. Getty

William Saliba 8 – A classy defensive display was only bettered by his sublime first goal for the Gunners. Saliba picked out the top corner of Travers’ net from the edge of the box, with a curling finishing that Jesus would have been proud of. AFP

Ben White 7 – Didn’t look at all out of place at right-back, despite being a centre-half by trade. The 24-year-old also grabbed an assist, after perfectly cutting the ball back for Odegaard to slot home. Action Images

Gabriel 7 - His performance may not have been as eye-catching as Saliba’s, but the Brazilian was virtually faultless in the heart of the Arsenal defence. Getty

Oleksandr Zinchenko 7 – Kept things nice and simple from left-back, often dropping into central positions to see more of the ball. Another solid outing for the Ukrainian. AFP

Martin Odegaard 9 – The Arsenal captain led by example once again with a quickfire brace. His two composed finishes in the first half virtually killed the contest. PA

Thomas Partey 7 – Was impressive at shutting down Bournemouth’s counter-attacks. Very much the engine of Mikel Arteta’s side. Reuters

Granit Xhaka 6 – A quiet day overall, although he should be commended for his metronomic passing. Reuters

Gabriel Martinelli 8 – Provider of two pin-point assists, the 21-year-old was a constant threat to the Bournemouth backline. All that was missing was a goal – as he went close on a handful of occasions. Reuters

Gabriel Jesus 8 – Set the tone for what was to come inside the first five minutes. After shrugging off Senesi on the halfway line, he launched the attack that eventually led to Arsenal’s opening goal. The Brazilian also had a goal of his own disallowed in the second half. PA

Bukayo Saka 7 – A functional display from the winger, who linked up well with White down the right side. His movement was especially notable as he helped create space centrally for the likes of Jesus. PA

SUBS: Emile Smith Rowe 7 – Showed some nice flashes of skill and interplay in his second-half cameo. AFP

Eddie Nketiah 6 – Worked hard, running the channels and pressing the Bournemouth defenders with intent. PA

Takehiro Tomiyasu 6 – Defensively sound in the final 20 minutes after replacing White at right-back. Getty

Albert Sambi Lokonga N/A – Relaced Xhaka for the final three minutes. Getty

Kieran Tierney N/A – The Scot came on in the closing stages, playing on the left. AFP

Tom Fenton

Mikel Arteta is not getting carried away despite his Arsenal side moving to the top of the Premier League following a comfortable win at Bournemouth.

The Gunners continued their perfect start to the campaign with a 3-0 victory on the south coast as an early Martin Odegaard double and a fine first Arsenal goal from William Saliba made it nine points from nine.

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Martin Odegaard scores twice as Arsenal top Premier League

At this stage of last season, Arteta was facing calls to be axed as Arsenal boss as they sat bottom without a point or a goal.

But despite the turnaround, the Spaniard is keen to keep his feet on the ground and not let the winning start lead to complacency.

“It’s just three games, it doesn’t mean anything,” he said of being top of the table.

“What it means is the team is playing really well, we won three games, we’re scoring goals, we’re keeping clean sheets, the team is playing and performing well, it’s competing really well.

“But it’s about Monday and getting better at other things that we have to do better and focus on Fulham.”

Ratings from the match can be seen in the gallery above. To see the next image, click on the arrows or just swipe if on a mobile device.

Updated: August 21, 2022, 3:49 AM