Arsenal went four points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win over Bournemouth in Saturday’s early kick-off.
The Gunners struck the first blow on the day in the title race, with rivals Manchester City not playing until 5:30pm later on.
Arsenal dominated from the off at the Emirates Stadium and took the lead on the stroke of half-time thanks to a Bukayo Saka penalty.
Kai Havertz drew contact from Mark Travers before going to ground, and after a lengthy VAR check, the Gunners were awarded the spot kick.
Not long after, Antoine Semenyo’s goal for the Cherries, after Ryan Christie’s effort had hit the bar, was disallowed following another long VAR check.
Leandro Trossard then doubled Arsenal’s lead in the 70th minute with a clinical first-time finish after more great work from Declan Rice to set him up.
The £105million Arsenal midfielder wrapped up the scoring deep into injury time, firing home from a tight angle following Gabriel Jesus’ pass.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright took to X after the game to give his verdict on the game and the controversial refereeing decisions which took place. He also singled Rice out for praise.
Arsenal march on as Declan Rice continues to shine
Rice really was a cut above on the day, once again showing that £105million for him was actually a bargain. Aside from his missed chance in the first half, he was virtually flawless.
And so the three-horse race is now effectively down to two. Arsenal are four points ahead of Man City, who in turn have two games in hand on the Gunners.
The way things are going, this title race could potentially go down to the final day, which is always a treat for neutrals (but nerve-wracking for fans of the teams involved).