Declan Rice celebrates with his Arsenal teammates after scoring against Bournemouth (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
The Gunners trailed 1-0 early on but fought back to take a 3-1 lead in the second half thanks to a brace from Declan Rice.
Still, the home side made it a nerve-wracking finish as they pulled one back, although Arsenal were still just strong enough to hold on to the lead and all three points.
Read on for our full Arsenal player ratings…
Arsenal vs Bournemouth player ratings
David Raya – 6 – Two goals conceded, so not the happiest Raya must have felt this season, although to be honest Bournemouth’s second goal was an absolute screamer, so not many goalkeepers would have had a chance with that.
Jurrien Hout – 7 – Probably Arsenal’s best defender in a somewhat shaky performance. Timber did a good job against Antoine Semenyo’s threat and advanced the ball well, as he so often does.
Piero Hincapie – 6.5 – Hincapie was still adapting to English football and was solid enough today, even if he wasn’t always 100% convincing against an admittedly strong Cherries side.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 6.5 – A tough achievement to summarize! Gabriel made a terrible mistake in the 10th minute to give Bournemouth the lead, but just six minutes later he fired home a well-taken equalizer and was fairly steady and solid afterwards.
William Saliba – 6.5 – Fair for Arsenal, even if not quite at his best, as Arsenal conceded two goals, which is a bit rare for them when their first-choice centre-backs are both fully fit.
Martin Zubimendi – 7 – Zubimendi was neat on the ball and controlled the game as he so often does.
Declan Rice – 9 – Two beautifully taken goals, this was Declan Rice at his best, with this great effort underneath making it 2-1 to the Gunners early in the second half…
Arsenal turns it around!
Declan Rice blasts it home! ? pic.twitter.com/yohVWA8Crj
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 3, 2026
Martin Odegaard – 8 – Silky and skilful, Martin Odegaard was a joy to watch again tonight as he continued his recent revival, producing a smart assist for the first Rice goal.
Noni Maduyke – 7.5 – Earned a rare start against Bukayo Saka and looked lively on the right, especially with some excellent skill to help set up the equalizer for Gabriel.
Gabriel Martinelli – 6 – Frustratingly inconsistent, this was one of Gabriel Martinelli’s worst games, with the Brazilian winger simply unable to make an impact or make the right decisions at key moments.
Viktor Gyokeres-6 – A hard worker, but Gyokeres still seems to lack the quality and scoring touch that Arsenal need from him.
subtitles: Gambriel Jesus 6, Opening and
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