Arsenal showed extreme desire and resolve for the second time in three weeks to win a Premier League game 3-2 with a last-gasp winner. The Gunners ended a four-game winless run at Villa Park last month when a Jorginho rocket rebounded off the crossbar and hit Emi Martinez before rolling into the net and on Saturday Mikel Arteta's men provided another dramatic comeback, with Reiss Nelson striking late.
The Premier League leaders saw their title rivals Manchester City close the gap down to two points after they beat Newcastle in the lunchtime game ahead of the Gunners' clash with Bournemouth. Pep Guardiola's men dispatched of the Cherries comfortably last weekend, but the Gunners were made to work hard for their victory.
A goal after just seven seconds from Phillip Billing gave Bournemouth the lead before Marcos Senesi doubled the visitors advantage just prior to the hour mark. The unlikely duo of Thomas Partey and Ben White brought Arsenal level with 20 minutes to play, before Nelson fired home the winner with virtually the last kick of the game.
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"The team and individuals today showed a different level of will to win and determination and initiative," Arteta said after the clash. "Because when the game gets ugly there is a moment when you can lose momentum and start to hide and navigate through the game.
"But the players didn’t do that. They wanted the game, they wanted the ball every time, they took risks, they took the initiative, they kept trying until we broke them down and it was great to see that from the team."
Arteta and his players have been told on numerous occasions when and how they will begin to falter but recent weeks indicate that is not going to happen any time soon. Winning after going behind ideally will not be what Arteta wants to see from his team, but their desire to win games in the final stages shows character and desire, two traits Arsenal have been criticised for not possessing in recent seasons.
The best example of their struggles regarding overturning deficits was perhaps best shown by a statistic from OptaJoe on Twitter.
Their post read: "Arsenal have won a Premier League game in which they trailed by 2+ goals for the first time since February 2012 vs Tottenham (5-2) having gone winless in 65 such games prior to today. Scenes."
Not only does the stat showcase how many times Arsenal have trailed by two goals in the last decade but also just how long it has been before a comeback such as yesterday's was achieved. The Emirates Stadium has been treated to two entirely different games in the last three days, with both showing hallmarks of title challengers.
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