Rice, Rice baby. And breathe. If anyone planned for a gentle, controlled start to 2026, they forgot to tell Arsenal. Down on the south coast we got a match that swung between chaos and control — a second-half brace from Declan Rice hauled us over the line in a 3–2 win against a Bournemouth side that refused to lie down. It probably took a year off everyone's life,but it made it seven straight wins to kick off the new year. Arsenal, as ever, doing things the hard way.
We survived a couple of early corners and slowly began to find our feet. Piero Hincapié slipped behind the defence and crossed into nobody, Martin Ødegaard and Noni Madueke flashed efforts over, and Madueke in particular was doing everything right except the bit that counts — the finish. And then, out of nowhere, the moment nobody wanted. Gabriel,usually the human insurance policy,had the ball under no pressure and casually passed it to Evanilson on the edge of our box.
One touch, roll into the net, David Raya nowhere. One of the strangest goals we've conceded all season, and absolutely nobody enjoyed it. Credit where it's due though: Gabriel didn’t hide. Six minutes later he put things right. Madueke once more did brilliantly down the byline and pulled it back. Martinelli’s shot was blocked,the ball spilled loose, and Gabriel hammered a left-footed drive home like a man personally offended by his earlier error.
mostly complete. The game never calmed. Bournemouth committed bodies forward and we struggled to keep passes together. Tavernier arrived late and headed wide,Kluivert bent a free-kick just past the post, and Semenyo — already being mentioned in transfer whispers — shot over after a tidy one-two. It felt edgy, unsettled, like the kind of match Arsenal used to lose.
David Brooks even sliced through the offside trap early in the second half and fired wide, just to remind us nothing was ever truly under control. Ten minutes after the restart, order returned. Gyökeres did well to battle for a bouncing ball in the box, Ødegaard paused,scanned and rolled it perfectly into Rice’s path. From 20 yards, low and precise into the corner — no fuss. 2–1. Bournemouth stayed dangerous, but the decisive moment followed.
Ødegaard again, releasing Bukayo Saka — who’d just come on — darting inside the full-back. Saka nicked the ball ahead of the keeper by the byline and cut it back. Rice arrived and finished. 3–1. Cue a brand-new Declan Rice chant from the away end: loud, defiant, and fully earned. Of course it wasn’t over. Junior Kroupi had been on the pitch for barely five minutes when he unleashed a swirling strike from distance that bent away from Raya and into the net. No warning, no apology.
Suddenly it was 3–2 and very much game on. The home crowd woke up, hearts raced, and memories of last season’s trips here came flooding back. To Arsenal’s credit, there was no collapse this time. No panic, no last-minute madness. We managed the final quarter-hour with enough composure, game management and grit to see it through. Not pretty, not perfect — but vital. A win against the team that beat us home and away last season, six points clear at the top,and seven on the bounce. That’ll do.
No rest, no mercy.
Thursday — Liverpool at the Emirates in the Premier League; Sunday — Portsmouth away in the FA Cup third round; Wednesday 14 January — Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. Three competitions. Three tests. One north London club setting the pace. Happy New Year, Arsenal. Now please — just one calm win, yeah?