Declan Rice sprinted toward the cluster of Arsenal supporters in the corner, seized the TV camera with both hands, and planted a kiss right on the lens. It wasn’t just the broadcast equipment he was embracing but also Arsenal’s determined push for the Premier League title.

In pivotal moments, top players rise to the occasion. As Arsenal struggled with nerves after Gabriel’s mishap gifted Bournemouth an early lead, Rice delivered with his first double for the club. His performance turned the tides when the team needed it most.

With two precise strikes from his right foot, Rice calmly placed the ball into the bottom corner twice, giving Arsenal a lead and then extending it. This cushion allowed them to withstand a late Bournemouth comeback attempt after Junior Kroupi’s goal.

Visiting Bournemouth is no longer the straightforward task it once was. The Cherries defeated the Gunners twice last season. Although they were Arsenal’s closest contenders last October, they hadn’t won in their last 10 matches. To stay ahead, especially with Manchester City in pursuit, Arsenal needed to overcome teams like Bournemouth.

Following Manchester City’s stumble at Sunderland, Arsenal had a golden opportunity to stretch their lead to eight points over Pep Guardiola’s squad before hosting a managerless Chelsea on Sunday, and seven points over second-place Aston Villa. Thanks to Rice’s heroics, they seized this chance.

Declan Rice raced over to the Arsenal fans tucked away into the corner, grabbed the television camera in both hands, and planted a smacker right on the lens

Antoine Semenyo started despite his looming move to Arsenal’s title rivals Manchester City

Gabriel gifted Bournemouth the lead with a scarcely-believable error when he passed the ball straight to Evanilson for a tap in – but redeemed himself with an equaliser six minutes later

Arsenal has historically struggled to maintain their lead. In the past four occasions when they topped the league at the season’s midpoint, the title slipped away. They lost out to Manchester United in 2003, Manchester City in 2014 and 2021, and even Leicester City in 2016.

For long periods on the south coast until Rice’s heroics they played like a side that knows it too. Gone was the belligerent Arsenal that looked to have shrugged off any nerves from recent narrow wins by bulldozing Aston Villa. Arsenal looked jittery and edgy. Arteta was even more animated on the touchline than usual as his side gave the ball away and their usual imperious midfield was played through at will by a fervent Bournemouth side buoyed by the knowledge that this was, perhaps, the last time they would see one of their stars.

Before kick-off, the stadium announcer at the Vitality Stadium ran through the list of match mascots and their favourite player. At least half of the kids named Antoine Semenyo as their man. They will soon have to change that.

Semenyo is so close to a move to Manchester City that many wondered whether he would feature. But why wouldn’t he? Injury risk aside, what better way for Pep Guardiola to get the most out of his impending new signing than watching him harm his main title rivals before he’s even pulled on a shirt.

It didn’t take long to see the impact he can make too, as he wriggled into the box inside the first minute and almost got in behind the Arsenal defence. He launched a dangerous long throw into the box, then turned Noni Madueke and dinked in a dangerous cross. He bulldozed Piero Hincapie to the ground with a shoulder barge. You imagine Guardiola was watching on with a glint in his eye.

How that would have sparkled again when he watched Gabriel gift Bournemouth the lead with a scarcely-believable error when he passed the ball straight to Evanilson for a tap in. Who knows what he was thinking. He didn’t even look.

It was his centre-back partner William Saliba whose error cost Arsenal here last season, shown a red card for dragging down Evanilson on the halfway line when the Bournemouth striker was through on goal. This time it was Gabriel, so often the rock on which Arteta’s side is built and one they were so pleased to see return from injury against Villa.

He scored in that game and he made up for his error here, too, firing home an equaliser after Gabriel Martinelli’s shot was rebounded into his path after fine work by Noni Madueke on the right flank.

Arsenal are now a club that has the luxury of being able to rest and rotate even in the heat of a title race. Arteta can give Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, the top scorer in the league in 2025, a breather, knowing he has Martinelli and Madueke to slot in and knowing they can influence games in the way they did for the equaliser.

And he knows that when he can call on fresh legs, they can change games too. While it was Martin Odegaard, back to his best again after injury, who laid on Rice’s first goal, it was Saka who danced into the box for the third to square it for the second.

It’s the sort of interchangeable riches Guardiola has long been able to boast while many of Arsenal’s title challenges in the past have come crumbling down once injury struck some of their best stars. Not any more.