Arsenal reignited their title push with a 2-0 win over Bournemouth and now face a make or break home clash with leaders Leicester.
Bournemouth are doing better than many expected in their first season in the Premier League but if I'm being honest it was one of the few fixtures on the list that didn't worry me too much.
The Cherries battled well but Arsenal had to rely on a quick-fire double from Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to ensure all three points.
The result puts the Gunners five points adrift of Leicester and they will now have to put in a consistent run of good form if they are to have any chance of finishing top of the table.
There was a controversial moment inside the opening 20 minutes when Mathieu Flamini being booked for his foul on Dan Gosling, with some sections of the crowd believing Kevin Friend should have shown a red card rather than just a yellow.
After a somewhat slow start from the hosts, Arsenal scored twice in the space of 88 seconds to put themselves in firm control of the match after 23 minutes. Olivier Giroud latched onto a pass from Aaron Ramsey before cushioning a header into the path of Ozil, who volleyed a fine effort into roof of the net.
Before Bournemouth had time to deal with the set-back Arsenal grabbed their second with Ramsey once again at the heart of the move. The Welsh midfielder picked up a loose ball before releasing Oxlade-Chamberlain, who then raced into the box before firing home a shot in off the post.
At the other end, Cech had to be alert to tip Harry Arter's effort over the bar before later denying Adam Smith, while Matt Ritchie sent his shot off target.
Bournemouth tried to reduce the deficit in the second half but Smith saw his effort hit the side netting. Arsenal were also creating chances of their own with Alexis Sanchez forcing Artur Boruc into a great save. From the resulting corner Boruc comfortably saved Giroud's header.
Boruc was called into action again in the closing stages and made an excellent save to deny Ramsey, while Cech had to be on top form to deny Bournemouth a late consolation. Cech saved Steve Cook's low strike before reacting quickly to get back up and keep out Arter's effort, ensuring a clean sheet for the hosts.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Bournemouth fan Peter Sweet was left feeling frustrated by the referee failing to dismiss Flamini.
"With Arsenal having a bad patch and us being at home, I fully expected to at least get a point out of the Gooners on Sunday," said Sweet.
"It might have been a different story as Flamini should have been sent off for his reckless challenge on Gosling. It was a clear red and Arsenal should have been down to 10 men.
"I thought we matched Arsenal in the early stages, but the two goals in 90 seconds really did it for us. Great technique from Ozil for the first and a cross come shot from the Ox took the wind out of our sails.
"We looked sprightly in the second half but we lacked a cutting edge. (Benik) Afobe didn’t have the best of games and Cech made his work look easy."
Sweet is also unsure whether Arsenal's defence can cope with a title challenge this season, adding: "Arsenal have work to do if they are going to catch Leicester.
"They have the quality, but I’m not too keen on their defence. They seem to have the better players coming back at just the right time."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It wasn't the prettiest of performances but we did what mattered most and got all three points. If we can beat Leicester in our next league game we can cut the gap on the leaders to just two points. That would well and truly put our title challenge back on track but it is definitely not going to be easy.
I have been taking Leicester's challenge seriously from the early stages and they deserve to be where they are, so we will have to be at our best to beat them and must play a lot better than we did against Bournemouth. We need to play more like we did when we demolished the Foxes 5-2 back in September and, if we are serious about our title challenge, this is the time to start showing it.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
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