Bournemouth vs Arsenal analysis: Petr Cech holds on to get Gunners back on tight track on South Coast

Bournemouth 0 Arsenal 2

Petr Cech (Getty)

STAR PLAYER

Petr Cech: A lot has been made about Arsenal's profilgacy in front of goal recently but Cech has been largely superb at the other end. The Gunners goalkeeper has made match-winning contributions on several occasions this season and made a number of smart saves to keep Arsene Wenger's men on top throughout this encounter.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: The England international has admitted he has not been at his best recently but he was recalled here and, after Mesut Ozil's opener, his smart finish moments later sealed a vital three points in Arsenal's title challenge. It also saw him end a 17-month Premier League goal drought.

VIEW FROM THE BENCH

Wenger will be delighted to have got back to winnings ways but will be aware the performance levels across the board will have to be better when they welcome Leicester to north London next weekend. For Eddie Howe, this was a missed chance to extend a good recent run against an out-of-sorts side.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

There is still something missing from the Arsenal attack that was certainly present earlier in the season. Alexis Sanchez is still not fit while Olivier Giroud has now gone five games without a goal. They will need to get back to their former level of consistency to haul Arsenal back into the title race.

Next up:

Bournemouth v Stoke (Barclays Premier League, February 13)

Arsenal v Leicester (Barclays Premier League, February 14)

PA.