Mikel Arteta insisted it was "not a coincidence" that Martin Odegaard's presence led Arsenal to a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in one of their best performances of the season.

Arsenal's win was their 2,000th in English top-flight history, making them just the second side to reach this milestone after Liverpool (2,068).

Odegaard had been sidelined through injury since September with an ankle injury sustained while on international duty with Norway.

He returned to the starting line-up last time out against Chelsea and now has two assists from two since his return after setting up Bukayo Saka for the opener against Forest.

Arsenal ran out comfortable winners after Thomas Partey and Ethan Nwaneri extended their lead and Arteta is confident the influence of his captain helped.

"It's not a coincidence. The team flows in a different way when [Odegaard] is playing," he told BBC MOTD.

"I think we started really well. The sense I was getting in the last 48 hours after the international break, the boys coming together and were all at it.

"It was good to see the impact of the substitutes [Thomas Partey - goal; Ethan Nwaneri - goal; Raheem Sterling - assist]. Everyone has to feel important. It was a good afternoon."

Partey grabbed Arsenal's second just seven minutes after entering the pitch, curling into the left corner from outside the box following Arteta's half-time swap for Jorginho.

Four of Partey's seven Premier League goals have come from outside the box. Of all Arsenal players to score more than five goals in the competition, he’s the only one to net more than half from outside the box.

Arteta had particular praise for fellow goalscorer Nwaneri, who, at 17 years and 247 days, became Arsenal’s second youngest-ever Premier League goalscorer, behind only Cesc Fabregas in August 2004 (17y 113d).

"He is the second youngest [Premier League goalscorer] in our history. That's a story in itself. He's brave. You see the reaction of fans, and they were singing 'he's one of our own'," added the Arsenal boss.

"I think we have to put brick by brick and make sure the cement doesn't get dry. Hopefully, we can build a beautiful thing with him."

Arsenal outplayed their opponents, leading them on expected goals (xG) with a total of 1.4 compared to Forest's 0.4 xG.

"On a day like this, you need to be solid defensively and take your chances. Ultimately it was not good enough, and it was three relatively easy goals for them," James Ward-Prowse told Sky Sports.

"We are going to have to improve our defensive structure."

Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury. 

White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term. 

After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.

It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign. 

Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team. 

"It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.

"We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.

"He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."

Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."

It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".

There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday. 

After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side. 

Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.

Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem. 

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta did not have a positive outlook when questioned about Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice's respective injuries following their 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.

Saka was taken off in the 81st minute, having earlier received treatment on a problem with his leg, while Rice left the pitch 10 minutes earlier having been playing with a broken toe.

While their injuries represent a problem for Arteta, both Saka and Rice were included in the England squad to face Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

It could be a blow for England interim manager Lee Carsley, with Arteta doubtful they will be able to contribute.

"It doesn't look good because for two players of that importance to say they want to come off is unusual," Arteta told reporters after the match. "I don't expect them to be fit [for the international break] because if not, they don't come off."

Saka has already missed two games for Arsenal this season, having picked up an injury during the previous international break. The Gunners have had to deal with numerous injuries to key players, including that of Martin Odegaard, who made his first start for the club since August on Sunday.

"What I'm praying for is that after the international break, we have the team fully physically equipped, that they are available and that they are fit because it's been a nightmare for eight weeks," he added.

"Doubt after doubt, issue after issue, not only with the ones that are not able to play but with the ones who are able to play."

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal must not accept the standards they showed defensively for Chelsea's equaliser in Sunday's 1-1 draw.

Pedro Neto slammed in from distance at Stamford Bridge, 10 minutes after Gabriel Martinelli had put the Gunners ahead.

Arsenal squandered a golden chance late on, when Leandro Trossard nudged wide from William Saliba's cross, leaving Arteta rolling on the touchline in frustration.

But Arteta, who believes Arsenal "dominated" Chelsea despite the Blues registering 17 shots and 1.28 expected goals (xG), singled out the defending for Neto's equaliser as particularly frustrating.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Arteta said: "The disappointment of not getting three points is bigger [than being satisfied] and it will probably be bigger after watching it back.

"I think we dominated them, we were the better team in many phases and situations in the game and after going ahead, very disappointed in the way we conceded.

"It was so poor. It is not [at] our standards and we don't accept [it].

"It is a second phase set piece and we were disorganised. We didn't reorganise quickly enough and you can't allow the pass that way. You need the quality of Neto to do it but our standards were not good enough."

Arsenal have gone four consecutive Premier League games without a win for the first time since April 2023 (D2 L2); the Gunners had picked up all three points in 21 of their previous 25 league matches before this (D3 L1).

This was the fourth time that Arsenal have faced 15+ shots in a Premier League game this season, already twice as many times as they did so across the whole of the 2023-24 campaign (twice).

Arteta was at least buoyed by the return to fitness of Martin Odegaard, who assisted Martinelli on his first appearance since September. Declan Rice, who missed Wednesday's loss to Inter in the Champions League, also played despite injury concerns.

"[He] has been out for six weeks and barely trained with the team," Arteta said of Odegaard, who played the entire match.

"To be able to play at this level in the Premier League tells you how much he looks after himself and the leadership and character he has. Everything flows better with players like this. We clicked much better. You could see everything was flowing but again it is about winning.

"What we have found is that every day we have had to change something big, because we've had problem after problem.

"Normally the team goes down but this team has unbelievable energy and spirit to play."

The draw left Arsenal in fourth, nine points back from Premier League leaders Liverpool heading into the final international break of 2024.

Arsenal squandered a golden last-gasp chance as they failed to make up ground on Premier League leaders Liverpool after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Having lost two of their last three league games, Mikel Arteta's Gunners entered Sunday's match 10 points adrift of Liverpool and in need of a victory.

Though Kai Havertz saw a first-half strike disallowed for offside after latching onto Declan Rice's quick free-kick, Arsenal were en route to claiming that win when Gabriel Martinelli – assisted by fit-again captain Martin Odegaard – struck on the hour.

The Brazilian was played onside by Levi Colwill as he took down Odegaard's excellent pass from the corner of the box, allowing him to side-foot past Robert Sanchez at his near post.

However, their lead was short-lived as Pedro Neto cut inside from the right to drill into the bottom-right corner 10 minutes later, scoring his first Premier League goal for Chelsea. 

Leandro Trossard failed to capitalise on a brilliant opportunity with the last kick of the game as he took William Saliba's searching left-wing cross off Havertz's toe with the goal gaping, leaving Arsenal winless in four Premier League games.

They sit fourth with 19 points, behind third-placed Chelsea on goal difference and already nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool.

Data Debrief: Shaky defence prolongs Arsenal slump

Having been beaten at Bournemouth and Newcastle United either side of a 2-2 home draw with Liverpool ahead of Sunday's game, Arsenal have now gone four Premier League matches without a victory.

They last endured a run of that length in April 2023, when their title tilt fell apart at the tail end of the 2022-23 campaign. They had won 21 of their previous 25 league games before their current run began (three draws, one loss).

Arsenal never truly felt in control of proceedings and Chelsea – who fired off 17 attempts – deserved their point after a battling performance.

Arteta's team have now faced 15 or more shots in four Premier League games this season, already twice as many times as they did across the entirety of 2023-24 (twice).

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta does not think that the club need a "reset", despite having failed to win any of their last three Premier League matches.

The Gunners have taken just one point from matches against Bournemouth, Liverpool and Newcastle, leaving them fifth and seven points behind Arne Slot's side at the summit. 

They were also beaten 1-0 by Inter in the Champions League in midweek, meaning it is back-to-back defeats in all competitions and just two wins in six.

But despite their ropey form, Arteta wasn't willing to press the panic button.

"I don't think about [needing a reset]," he told a press conference. "Nobody works harder than me, I guarantee you that.

"We don't need a reset. In one particular aspect we need to go from 95 [effort] to 100. I will not tell you what that is."

Arteta's side travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to face Chelsea, who come into the game on the back of an 8-0 thrashing of Noah in the Europa Conference League.

However, the Spaniard will be confident of returning to winning ways against a favoured opponent during his time as a Premier League boss. 

Of all managers to face Chelsea at least 10 times in the top-flight, only Kenny Dalglish (77%) has a higher win rate against the Blues than Arteta (60% - W6 D2 L2).

The absence of captain Martin Odegaard has been felt keenly in the Arsenal team, having picked up an injury playing for Norway in the September international break.

He made a stoppage-time cameo against Inter in midweek to return to first-team action and will be in the squad to face Chelsea on Sunday.

Declan Rice, meanwhile, missed the Champions League game through injury and is also a doubt for the trip to Stamford Bridge.

"I have to be very vague on [Rice] because there is no clarity on if he is going to be fit or not for the weekend," said Arteta.

"He hasn't trained yet and it is not clear yet whether he is going to be available."

Mikel Arteta felt Arsenal were "very harshly done by" in a 1-0 Champions League defeat to Inter that was decided by Hakan Calhanoglu's penalty.

Inter scored the only goal of the game after Mikel Merino was punished for handling inside his own area on the stroke of half-time.

But boss Arteta felt that decision was harsh, and particularly so when Merino had earlier not been awarded a spot-kick of his own.

The Spain midfielder appeared to beat Yann Sommer to a high ball in the Inter box and took a punch to the head in the process.

That incident was cleared following a VAR check, while the decision to penalise Merino at the other end of the pitch was quickly approved.

"I am very proud of my players, the level of domination we had," Arteta told TNT Sports. "We were very harshly done by in the sense that is obvious. Both penalties.

"If you are going to give a penalty, the other one has to be because he punches him in the head.

"There is no deflection, nothing you can do in the box, so can he get away from it? If he is going to give that, the other has to be 100% a penalty."

Arteta, who reintroduced Martin Odegaard as a late substitute following injury, also sought to focus on the positives, however.

Although Inter made a number of changes to their first XI, Arteta was enthused by the manner in which Arsenal dominated their opponents, having disappointed in another 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United on Saturday.

"We should have scored a couple at least, but the way the team played, that was us at least," he added. "Every decision in the box makes a difference.

"The way we played tonight, the team can go to Chelsea and win."

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has returned to full training after spending two months out of action with an ankle injury. 

Odegaard has missed 12 matches for the Gunners in all competitions after damaging his ankle ligaments against Austria while on international duty with Norway in September. 

The 25-year-old midfielder trained with Arsenal ahead of their trip to the San Siro to face Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday. 

Mikel Arteta's side have, however, struggled in Odegaard's absence recently, failing to win any of their last three games in the Premier League. 

In the seven games that Odegaard has missed in the top-flight, Arsenal's win percentage dropped from 66.7% to 42.9% after going unbeaten in their first three games. 

The Gunners have also averaged 1.6 points per game without Odegaard, compared to 2.3 points won with the Norwegian in their ranks.

Mikel Arteta was left frustrated by Arsenal's performance in their 1-0 defeat away to Newcastle United on Saturday.

The defeat left them third in the Premier League, though they could be up to eight points behind Manchester City by the end of the day.

Arsenal had 63.9% possession and mustered more shots (10) and a higher expected goals total (1.11) than Newcastle, but could not find a leveller following Alexander Isak's early header.

And Arteta was disappointed with how his side did the basics following what he thought was a good start.

"We deserved to lose today. I thought we started really well and were really dominant. We didn't defend the box well enough," he told Premier League Productions.

"Credit to them. They scored a great goal with a good ball.

"Then the game changes and you start to play a different game. You have to adapt and we didn't do that well enough. I am very frustrated.

"We got dragged into a game they are looking for constantly and we couldn't play the game that we wanted."

Arsenal only managed one shot on target in the match, coming from a Mikel Merino effort that was cleared off the line in the first half. Declan Rice, meanwhile, put a close-range header wide in second-half stoppage time.

"We had two big chances: Mikel had a big one, Declan had a big one. We lacked answers," said Arteta.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, meanwhile, was delighted with the Magpies' performance as they sealed back-to-back victories following their win over Chelsea in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

"You have to be really strong mentality and know results will turn if you continue to do the right things," Howe told BBC Sport.

"It has been a difficult week with the fixtures, but the players have done really well.

"There was a better feeling in training after the Chelsea win, as if pressure lifted slightly.

"Today's performance was built on hard work, desire and a lot of really good defending in the second half. I thought we looked good."

Isak headed home from a pinpoint Anthony Gordon cross to tally up his third goal in three successive appearances in all competitions.

"I wouldn't say it is a trademark goal for Alex but really pleased to see it. Anthony can give you that on his natural right-hand side and it was a great ball," said Howe.

"It was always going to take a moment like that as it was a game of few chances."

Mikel Arteta wants to keep Arsenal in the hunt for the Premier League title when they visit Newcastle United on Saturday, opting to ignore comparisons with Jose Mourinho.

Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher likened Arsenal's manager to Mourinho, suggesting the Gunners "don't play great football".

That verdict came after Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool before Arsenal eased to a 3-0 win against Preston North End in the EFL Cup fourth round on Wednesday.

Arteta refused to be drawn on the comparison, however, insisting his focus was solely on repaying the faith of Arsenal's board and supporters with victory away to Newcastle.

"I don’t talk about myself. I leave him to give his opinion," Arteta started, referring to Carragher's punditry comments.

"Nobody is un-sackable. When this happens you have earned something and you have it in the bank somehow, but we are here to win football matches – never forget that."

Pressed on his five-year tenure at Arsenal, Arteta reiterated the same message, adding: "Very unusual. Unfortunately, it is very unusual.

"I will carry on with my job in the best possible way and football matches are the most important thing and you have to win many of them to keep your job."

Hosts Newcastle are winless in five league outings, slipping down to 12th in the table, and boss Eddie Howe warned no player is guaranteed selection before Wednesday's 2-0 against Chelsea in the same cup competition.

"No one is undroppable," he said, referring to Bruno Guimaraes.

"I think you make a valid point on Bruno’s minutes, his travelling, he’s done a lot, he’s always been there for us so we need to make sure we manage him well and manage the other players who have had a lot of minutes well."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Newcastle United – Alexander Isak

Alexander Isak averages a goal every 133 minutes in the Premier League for Newcastle – only Andrew Cole (one every 121 minutes) has a better average for the Magpies in the competition.

The Sweden striker has also scored 11 goals in his last 11 league appearances at St James’ Park, where he will hope to continue that run of form on Saturday.

Arsenal – Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka has created more chances than any other Premier League player this season (27), while he has either scored or assisted in 10 of his last 12 league games – including seven of eight matches this campaign.

His three goals and seven assists in 2024-25 also make him one of just four players to achieve double figures for goal involvements in the Premier League.

MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN

Arsenal may be winless in their last two league games but they will be the favourites against Howe's struggling side.

Newcastle have not tasted victory in their last five league outings, their longest winless streak since a six-match run across August and September 2022.

Arsenal may have been beaten in their last trip to Bournemouth, too, but they have not suffered back-to-back away defeats in the league since May 2022.

The second of those defeats did come at Newcastle, however, where the Magpies have won two of their last three home Premier League games against Arsenal.

That is as many wins as Newcastle managed across 19 previous home league fixtures with Arsenal, who lost this exact fixture 1-0 last season thanks to Anthony Gordon's controversial winner.

Fortunately for Arteta, Arsenal have not suffered defeat in consecutive away league games against Newcastle since their first three such visits in the Premier League between 1994 and 1996.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Newcastle United win – 27.1%
Draw – 25.1%
Arsenal win – 47.8%

Mikel Arteta is unsure on the severity of the injuries sustained by Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber as Arsenal twice surrendered the lead in a 2-2 draw with title rivals Liverpool on Sunday.

Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino were on target for the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium but Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah both equalised to ensure Arne Slot's men would leave with a point.

There was a noticeable shift in momentum when Arsenal, already without the suspended William Saliba, lost Gabriel and Timber to injuries after the break.

Asked by Sky Sports for an update after the game, Arteta said: " Well I don't know exactly what happened (with Timber) but he said he cannot carry on and big Gabi as well, so I don't know."

Prompted on Gabriel specifically, he said: "I don't know."

Arteta felt his side were the better side even accounting for the injuries, adding: "Even with the changes I thought we were the better team, we deserved to win the game.

"But obviously we didn't so there are learnings to take from that especially when we concede both goals, the second one the transition moment, we ended up in the final third then 10 seconds later we are two-on-one in our box at this level against this team, obviously you cannot give this away."

Saka acknowledged that losing Gabriel was a momentum shifter in the game but said the incident cannot be used as an excuse by the Gunners, who are now five points off leaders Manchester City in third place.

"Yeah of course he's a big player for us, that's not an excuse we have to adapt and do our best whoever's on the pitch," he said.

"It's (the mood in the dressing room) a bit disappointed, credit to Liverpool they're a good team but we just felt like we didn't show our best selves for the full 90 minutes."

Saka had also missed the past two matches with injury and he was chomping at the bit to be involved.

"I hate missing games, it was really frustrating to be on the side watching, I just had this game on my mind. I was happy to be back out there today."

Mikel Arteta has been dealt another injury blow ahead of their blockbuster clash with Liverpool after Riccardo Calafiori limped off against Shakhtar Donetsk. 

The Gunners scraped to a 1-0 victory over the Ukrainian side in the Champions League thanks to a Dmytro Riznyk own goal, after the rebound of Gabriel Martinelli's shot off the post went in off his back. 

Arsenal were again without Bukayo Saka, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, while they will be without the suspended William Saliba on Sunday after he was sent off against Bournemouth.

This victory came with a cost as Calafiori was forced to leave the field in the 72nd minute, leaving Arteta unsure if the defender will be available this weekend.

"Riccy, I don't know, he felt something and could not continue playing so [it's a] bit of a worry," he told TNT Sports. While talking in his post-match press conference, Arteta added: "He had to come off because he felt something. I don't know the extent of that. So, in that sense, not great news."

"I don't know, sorry, [Saka] wasn't able to train yet, so that's unlikely," he added.

Arsenal were far from their best, with Leandro Trossard seeing a spot-kick saved 13 minutes from time, while David Raya was called into action to preserve their win with a big save.

It was a third consecutive clean sheet in the Champions League, which is their first such run since keeping four under Arsene Wenger in November 2007.

They generated just 1.8 expected goals (xG) on Tuesday, having 13 shots, with five of those on target, but Arteta was happy with the reaction he saw from his team.

"Very pleased with the result," he said. "Always difficult in Champions League.

"We should've scored more in the first half and the second half, I felt a bit of fatigue. Playing 60 minutes with 10 men a few days ago is difficult. We left the game a bit open but we dug in for three points.

"I don't know if [the penalty miss] was related to fatigue. Credit to Shakhtar, they are brave.

"When you give them time on the ball, and you lose the ball, you will suffer. I don't know [why Kai Havertz didn't take the penalty]. He is one of the takers, but Leo took it."

Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal will channel the hurt from their first defeat of the Premier League season into their Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk. 

The Gunners were beaten 2-0 by Bournemouth on Saturday, with goals from Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert capitalising on William Saliba's first-half sending off. 

Arsenal have now been shown 18 red cards in the Premier League, at least five more than any other side since Arteta's first game in charge back on Boxing Day in 2019.

Saliba's red card was the third the Gunners have been shown in their last eight matches, something Arteta acknowledged ahead of kick-off on Tuesday.

"I think we are already aligned that we cannot continue to play with 10 men," Arteta said.

"That’s fine, it’s easier to say it than get it done because they are very specific moments that adjust that situation, but it’s reacting.

"Defeat is part of the game, part of the sport. It happened in very specific conditions as well.

"Let’s move on, take that pain that we still have in the tummy and use it for tomorrow night."

That defeat against the Cherries saw Arsenal beaten for the first time away from home this calendar year, but they return to the Emirates on Tuesday to face the Ukrainian champions. 

Arsenal haven't lost a home game in the group, or the new league stage in the Champions League, since a 3-2 defeat to Olympiacos in September 2015. 

The Gunners have won eight of the nine matches they have played since (D1), keeping a clean sheet in all of those triumphs. 

And Arteta believes that tomorrow is the perfect platform to recover from their defeat to Bournemouth and kickstart another winning run. 

"Yeah, we have to start tomorrow obviously," Arteta said.

"The desire is there, we want to desperately play these kinds of matches, and we know the atmosphere is going to be terrific tomorrow night, so let’s produce that and earn the right to win the game."

Arteta was also able to provide an update on Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, with both missing the trip to the Vitality Stadium over the weekend. 

"They are closer and both progressing really well. Martin is still not fit. With Bukayo, let’s see how he feels today and in the training session that we have later on," he said.

William Saliba's red card marked Arsenal's third dismissal in just eight Premier League games, leaving Mikel Arteta frustrated by the mistakes that led to their 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

The France centre-back was sent off following a VAR review in the 30th minute for bringing down Evanilson and denying him a goalscoring opportunity.

Despite digging in, Arsenal were unable to maintain their unbeaten start, as Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert's second-half goals subjected them to a first defeat of the season.

It is the first campaign since 2011-12 that the Gunners have had as many as three players sent off in their opening eight matches of a Premier League season.

In fact, since Arteta's first game in charge of Arsenal on Boxing Day 2019, they have been shown 18 red cards in the top flight, at least five more than any other side.

While they managed to hold onto results against Brighton and Manchester City after going down to 10, Arteta admitted it was going to cost them eventually.

"It's very difficult to win in the Premier League with 10 men for 60-70 minutes, it's just an accident waiting to happen. We have had to go through it in three games and that cost us the game," he told BBC Match of the Day.

"We had the big chance and the moment in the game to score and have a different result, and then we conceded a goal. We try to stick to the rules. The three [red cards] have been different ones and three very different outcomes.

"The team tried, the effort with 10 men was fantastic, but today it was not enough to win the game. It took us a while to understand what we had to do in the first 15 minutes to start with, then we grabbed the game, but after 30 minutes, the game changed."

Bournemouth secured just their second-ever Premier League victory over Arsenal in 15 meetings, and their first since January 2018, when they won 2-1.

Andoni Iraola's substitutes did the damage for the Cherries, with Kluivert both scoring and assisting in a Premier League game for the first time.

Iraola was delighted by the maturity shown in his team's performance as they bounced back from a disappointing loss to Leicester City before the break.

"It was quite a mature win because it is a tricky situation [playing against 10 men]," Iraola told Sky Sports.

"We started well for the first 30 minutes and then the red card changes the game. We had to control the game, attack but not lose our minds, as even with 10 men, set plays, free-kicks they could be a threat. Luckily for us, we took the benefit of having one man more.

"Before half-time, we missed a couple of chances and at the beginning of the second half we managed not to finish, so we had to have patience to take the benefit of having one more player without losing our heads.

"We were playing very well the first 30 minutes. It was a very level game, which is very good when you face this opposition. It became easier with 11 v 10 but everything is not done, you have to finish the job, and we did it."

Mikel Arteta believes Kai Havertz still has a further level to reach after enjoying an excellent start to the season with Arsenal, who go to Bournemouth when the Premier League resumes on Saturday.

Arsenal emerge from the second international break of 2024-25 one point adrift of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table with 17 points from seven matches. 

With four goals and an assist, Havertz has been a key factor in their positive start, excelling in his new false nine role and scoring a crucial equaliser as they fought back to beat Southampton 3-1 before the hiatus.

Asked if Havertz was now playing with greater confidence, Arteta said: "You can tell. He takes the ball and he runs with the ball. 

"He's on the high press, he goes full gas, the way he holds the ball, the positions he takes in the box. When he plays as a nine, you don't know where he is, that's his football brain. 

"His focus now is, 'I'm going to win the game, I'm going to do it', and that's a different thing.

"He wants more and he's not satisfied with what he's doing because there is still, I think, another level from him."

Opponents Bournemouth are 14th with eight points, having suffered a demoralising 1-0 defeat to previously winless Leicester City two weeks ago.

After that game, boss Andoni Iraola told BBC Sport: "It's difficult to explain, you need to score. We had a disallowed goal, hit the post, the crossbar, we had enough chances to win.

"We have to give merit to their offensive side but on the other side we are missing very clear chances. There are chances that you cannot miss altogether. 

"We have to be more clinical and it is hurting us. All the games apart from Liverpool we have created more chances, but we are not getting the points."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Bournemouth – Antoine Semenyo

Bournemouth have had more shot-ending high turnovers than any other side in the Premier League this season (18), while only three sides have faced fewer such shots than the Cherries (six).

Semenyo, who leads all Bournemouth players for goal involvements (four – three goals, one assist) and successful dribbles (12) this term could have a key role to play on the counter.

Arsenal – Kai Havertz

Havertz has been involved in 20 goals in his last 21 Premier League appearances (13 goals, seven assists). 

His first goal for Arsenal came in this exact fixture last season, as he converted a penalty in a 4-0 victory for the Gunners. Could he be in for more joy on the south coast?

MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN

Arsenal are unbeaten in all 10 of their games in all competitions so far this season (seven wins, three draws) – they last had a longer unbeaten run from the start of a campaign in 2007-08 (first 21).

They are chasing a landmark victory, as their 3-1 win over Southampton last time out was their 1,999th top-flight triumph. Victory here would see them become the second English side to reach 2,000, after Liverpool (2,065).

Bournemouth, meanwhile, have lost 11 of their 14 Premier League games against Arsenal, though all three exceptions have been at home (3-3 in January 2017, 2-1 in January 2018, 1-1 in December 2019).

But a repeat should not be expected here. Each of Bournemouth's last 10 Premier League wins have been against sides in the bottom half of the table. 

Andoni Iraola's men are winless in their last 11 matches against sides in the top half since beating Manchester United 3-0 in December last year (four draws, seven losses).

Arsenal boast a tremendous record against the Cherries lately, too. Since Bournemouth returned to the Premier League in 2022, the Gunners have won all four of their meetings with the Cherries by an aggregate score 13-2, netting three or more goals each time.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Bournemouth – 16.1%

Arsenal – 65.2%

Draw – 18.7%