Second-half stars Arsenal find a way to win again – with a little help from Bournemouth’s Jefferson Lerma
It can be hard to know what to make of Arsenal’s performances since the summer arrival of Unai Emery and Sunday's 2-1 Premier League win at Bournemouth was no different.
On the one hand, an own goal from Jefferson Lerma and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s close-range strike extended an unbeaten run that stretches back to August to 17 games.
On the other they still haven’t led at half time in a single match in any competition this season – an extraordinary statistic given their general success.
They came within seconds of breaking that run at the Vitality Stadium, only to concede a sweeping counter-attack crowned with a sumptuous finish by Josh King on the stroke of half-time.
So it was that once again Arsenal needed a second-half salvo to escape unscathed. With 21 of their 28 league goals coming after the interval, more than any other top-flight team, it has become a calling card and a crutch.
Strong finishers
Why are Arsenal so ineffective in the opening period? Against Bournemouth they were second best until Colombia midfielder Lerma’s attempt to cut out Sead Kolasinac’s cross thundered into his own net on 30 minutes.
Under Emery they have rarely had the look of a team in control of a match, with many of their wins – against Fulham, Leicester, Everton, Watford, West Ham – coming from flurries when the game opens up in its later stages.
If the precise reason for their poor starts is hard to pinpoint, then it is easier to explain their strong finishes.
Emery has an array of attacking talent that would be the envy of most top-flight managers, save perhaps Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, so when Arsenal need a lift he has weapons at his disposal.
At Bournemouth they were without the injured Alexandre Lacazette, while Mesut Ozil was an unused substitute and Aaron Ramsey appeared only for the last eight minutes. All three would be welcome at most clubs in the Champions League, never mind the Premier League.
There may be another factor. Stats revealed earlier this month that Arsenal players had collectively run further than those of any other team in the division. It could be then a case, then, of superior fitness eventually wearing opponents down.
Aubameyang's audition
Lacazette’s groin injury afforded Aubameyang only his second audition as a solo striker in the league this season, having played predominately on the left side of a forward three.
It is a strange situation for the Gabon international, given that he is probably Arsenal’s most gifted striker and arrived in January as the club’s record signing.
Aubameyang’s display underlined that he offers less in the way of centre-forward toil – holding up the ball, bringing team-mates into play – than the willing Lacazette.
But his movement and sliding finish to convert another Kolasinac delivery showed an easy ruthlessness not always evident in Lacazette.
His eighth league goal moved him alongside Sergio Aguero at the head of the top scorers’ chart and he now has 20 in 31 appearances for the club.
A driving run moments later spearheaded a breakaway that Henrikh Mkhitaryan ought to have finished and illustrated how effective Aubameyang can be – if Emery figures out how best to employ him.
Lerma's day to forget
Bournemouth slipped to eighth but this remains a hugely positive start to the campaign for Eddie Howe’s team, who look to have been strengthened by the summer signings of David Brooks and Lerma.
This was a day to forget for the South American, however. His own goal was a rocket of a volley made all the more impressive by the fact that it was executed on the slide from near the edge of the penalty area, not that it will be of much consolation to him.
Having handed Arsenal an opening goal, Lerma then played a part in their 67th-minute winner. His foul led to a free-kick from which the visitors spread play to the left and Aubameyang applied the finish.
Lerma almost had the last laugh. He beat Bernd Leno with a thumping, low 20-yard strike but not the German’s left post.
Momentum restored
Arsenal needed this win, having seen the momentum created by an 11-match winning run dissipate with four draws in their last five games before the November international break.
It is also a timely lift ahead of a testing domestic double-header next week: Sunday’s home derby against in-form Tottenham followed by a midweek trip to Manchester United.
They remain fifth, but have moved to within one point behind Chelsea and have a five-point cushion on their nearest pursuers, Everton. Victory over Spurs could see them replace their rivals in the top four.