Walcott double as Gunners beat BATE

It may not have been the most convincing of performances, but Arsenal sit top of Group H in the Europa League after a Theo Walcott double fired them to a 4-2 win at BATE Borisov.

Arsenal blew their opponents out the water in an impressive opening half an hour in Belarus and, after having looked so comfortable, the visitors began to show signs of weakness at times and just about got away with it.

Rob Holding scored his first goal for the Gunners in the first half before Olivier Giroud netted his 100th in Arsenal colours to complete the scoring for the visitors.

Jack Wilshere put in an impressive display and young midfield duo Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock didn't look at all out of place in the starting line-up and gave a good account of themselves. When I first saw the line-up I was surprised by the selection, but fairly impressed with the results. However, I was still surprised that we didn't have the likes of Mesut Ozil or Alexis Sanchez at least on the bench as back up.

With a maximum six-point haul from our opening two games, albeit with not too difficult a group, I am pleased with the start we've made to life in the Europa League in terms of the results. Admittedly our opponents haven't been of the calibre we have faced in the Champions League, but they still had the potential to be tricky, so winning both games is a good start.

Arsenal started strongly and with attacking purpose and very nearly took the lead after just seven minutes, but Walcott's shot hit a post following some great build-up play. But the England international wasn't to be denied soon after - Wilshere showed a great touch as he burst into the box before crossing for Walcott to head home.

Provider nearly turned scorer after 16 minutes, but Wilshere saw his effort ruled out for offside, which after seeing the replay looked like a harsh decision.

At the other end Mirko Ivanic's speculative effort sailed off target before he sent a volley just wide soon after. Those misses proved costly for the hosts as Arsenal doubled their advantage after 22 minutes, thanks largely to an error from BATE goalkeeper Denis Scherbitski. Scherbitski inexplicably gifted the ball straight to Walcott with a poor pass and the Arsenal forward ran into the box and slotted home his second.

Arsenal were in again just three minutes later as Walcott's corner was flicked on by Per Mertesacker for Rob Holding to turn home - not the most memorable way to grab your first goal for the club, but they all count.

Ivanic's powerful header reduced the deficit soon after and this seemed to spur the hosts on. David Ospina made a cracking one-handed save to keep BATE out before the offside flag was raised, while the Arsenal goalkeeper then had to be alert to deny Ivanic soon after.

Nemanja Milunovic appeared to get away with what looked like an elbow on Joe Willock in the first half as Arsenal continued to dominate. Only an excellent fingertip save from Scherbitski prevented Walcott from completing a first-half hat-trick, while Holding's effort hit a post just before the break.

Although Arsenal were more than worthy of their 3-1 half-time lead, there was definitely a big slice of misfortune in their direction for the game's next goal. Vitali Gayduchik was adjudged to have pulled down Shkodran Mustafi in the box within four minutes of the restart and Giroud made no mistake as he scored from the penalty spot for his 100th Arsenal goal. I've got to admit though that is one of the softest penalties I have seen in a long time and we were incredibly lucky to even get it!

BATE refused to give up and Ospina had to be alert to palm away a free-kick from the hosts, but the side from Belarus did manage to pull another goal back 23 minutes from time. Ospina failed to keep hold of the initial header from Ivanic and Mikhail Gordeychuk was on hand to smash home the rebound.

Arsenal were still in control of the match, but the game could so easily have slipped away from the visitors had BATE not wasted a big opportunity 20 minutes from time. After a decent cut-back the ball fell to Aleksandr Volodko, but the midfielder fired his effort off target. It was a big let off for Arsenal!

BATE continued to try and find a way back into the game as Ihar Stasevich twice forced Ospina into a save, while Giroud miscued his shot off target at the other end.

Arsenal youngsters Marcus McGuane and Eddie Nketiah came off the bench to make their debuts in the final quarter of the match, which was great to see as the Gunners held on for the win.

GROUP H
There is still a long way to go in the group stages with four matches left to play, but Arsenal are exactly where they want to be at the top of the group with two wins from as many games.

Red Star Belgrade won 1-0 in Cologne and are now second in the group, two points behind the Gunners, and the sides meet in the next round of Europa League fixtures next month. October's trip to Serbia will present another tricky clash, but one I believe we can come out of victorious providing we play to our full potential and don't do anything silly. But we mustn't take anything for granted and need to take each game as it comes!

If I'm honest I'm still finding it hard to really get into the Europa League as much as I would like to at the moment, but I'll still get behind the team in any competition we play in and we definitely need to take this one very seriously.

As I've said previously top spot in Group H is an absolute must and anything other than this would leave me feeling very disappointed, but I'm confident we can do it.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
There were great moments and others not so good in Belarus, but we got the job done and won the match which is all that matters. Now that is out the way we must firmly turn our attentions back to the Premier League and the visit of Brighton.

We can't take anything for granted as there is no such thing as an easy game in the Premier League, but this is a match, especially with us being at home, that I feel we really should be winning and anything other than three points will frustrate me.

Before our next Europa League adventure against Red Star Belgrade we need to remain fully focused on the task at hand and getting a maximum six-point haul from Brighton and Watford. It is certainly doable, but we need to cut out silly mistakes and make our chances count!

September ends with five wins and a draw from six matches in all competitions, which is a decent return, but we need to try and up our game another level and let's try for a fantastic October!

COME ON YOU GUNNERS

Laca double bursts Baggies bubble

Alexandre Lacazette continued his record of scoring in every home league game since joining Arsenal as his double secured a 2-0 win over West Brom.

It maybe could have been a different story had West Brom not been denied what looked like a clear penalty in the early stages, but the decisions just about evened themselves out as the Gunners' also saw their first-half appeal turned away.

Lacazette scored his first goal of the game after 20 minutes before putting the result beyond doubt after the hour mark. Admittedly it wasn't the perfect performance from Arsenal, but three points and a third clean sheet in a row in the league is definitely a positive. The result sees Arsenal maintain their unbeaten home record this season and move up to 7th, while the Gunners are now just one point outside of the top four.

We still look far off the pace compared to the likes of the two Manchester clubs, but at least this is a step in the right direction. With Brighton and Watford next up in the league I still feel we should be targeting maximum points from these games.

Although for me this game was about Arsenal getting three points, a big mention must go to West Brom midfielder Gareth Barry who became the Premier League's record appearance holder with game number 633.

The first real chance of the game fell to Alexis Sanchez, who now has 100 Premier League starts, and the Chilean's free-kick sailed just wide of a post.

There was a big talking point after seven minutes with West Brom feeling they should have been awarded a penalty and to be honest I can understand why they felt aggrieved. Jay Rodriguez appeared to be fouled in the box by Shkodran Mustafi, but managed to stay on his feet before seeing his shot tipped onto a post by Petr Cech. Jake Livermore fired wide from the rebound when it looked easier to have scored, but all the talk was on the Mustafi foul. Had Rodriguez not stayed on his feet it is likely a penalty would have been given. Although I can understand the Baggies' frustrations, we were denied a penalty later in the first half so I feel things evened themselves out.

Former Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs wasted a chance against his former club as his powerful half-volley went just wide of a post. That miss and the dismissed penalty appeal proved costly for the visitors as Arsenal opened the scoring. Sanchez saw his free-kick superbly tipped onto the crossbar by West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster, but Lacazette was on hand to head home the rebound. That goal meant Lacazette is the first Arsenal player to score in his first three home matches since 1988....and he does look like a decent signing!

Arsenal could have added a second shortly after the half hour mark, but Foster denied Aaron Ramsey as the Welshman was trying to pick out Lacazette.

It was then the Gunners' turn to be denied a penalty as Grzegorz Krychowiak pulled down Sanchez in the box. It was a clear shirt pull, but nothing was given. In a way it was perhaps correct nothing was given as at least it cancelled out the decision West Brom were unhappy about from earlier in the game.

A combination of heroic defending and poor finishing prevented West Brom from levelling the scores before the break. Krychowiak's cross was met by the head of an unmarked Rodriguez and his effort beat Cech, only for Nacho Monreal to somehow clear the ball off the line with a superb clearance.

Rodriguez failed to make contact to Hal Robson Kanu's flick on and the former Southampton man also sent two further efforts wide, including one right on the stroke of half-time. Gibbs' corner was headed clear by Mustafi, but West Brom kept the attack alive and Barry forced a save from Cech before Rodriguez poked the ball wide.

Gibbs made a key contribution at the other end to thwart his former employers within five minutes of the restart. Mohamed Elneny slid a pass across to Sanchez in the box, but Gibbs managed to get in the way to block the Chilean's effort over the bar for a corner.

1-0 always failed like a dangerous scoreline regardless of the fact we were controlling large spells of the game, so it was much to my relief when we doubled our lead after 67 minutes. Allan Nyom clumsily barged into Ramsey in the box and a penalty was rightly given - not as clear-cut as West Brom's in the first half, but correct all the same! Lacazette stepped up and fired a powerful spot-kick into the bottom-right corner to score Arsenal's 100th penalty in the Premier League.

Lacazette missed the opportunity to have sealed a hat-trick soon after when he sliced over with Foster seemingly helpless. Granit Xhaka's long-range effort sailed wide before Sanchez saw his effort comfortably saved by Foster.

Although it would have been very harsh Craig Dawson could maybe count himself lucky to go unpunished went he fouled Sanchez 10 minutes from time. It was a bad foul, but he had already been booked earlier in the game and a dismissal would have been harsh.

Hector Bellerin saw his strike deflected behind for a corner and, although it was good to see Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud come on in the closing stages, we had coped well without them before then.

Foster prevented the score from getting worse in the final minute of normal time when the England goalkeeper reacted well to block Ramsey's shot with his legs.

Luck went our way at times, but I still feel we were worthy winners against the Baggies.

OPPOSITION VIEW
West Brom fan Lauren Armstrong was unsurprisingly disappointed by the penalty decision that went against her side, but she admitted poor finishing also let the Baggies down.

"I think Arsenal played well, but I don't think that they looked as dangerous as previous seasons," said Armstrong. "The penalty decision was a game changer and I think that Albion deserved more out of the game, not a win, but easily a point.

"The referee definitely helped out with the Arsenal victory but Albion didn't help themselves with their finishing.

"It was a great transfer window for us, we got in some great players (thanks for Gibbs). We started the season well, but have started to dip in form. But, after the City cup game and the Arsenal game today I think we will be able to push on this season and finish mid-table, as always."

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
There will undoubtedly be differing opinions on Arsenal's performance, but all that ultimately matters is that we got the job done and got three points, against a side who have been a banana skin for some previous games.

Focus can now switch to the Europa League and our trip to Belarus to face BATE Borisov. This is the kind of side I fully expect us to beat at home, but away is a whole different story. I'd still be hoping we can win, but is has the potential to be a tricky tie so we must make sure we don't underestimate our opponents.

If I'm honest I don't feel the same motivation for Europa League games, but we still need to make sure we take the competition very seriously.

Then after our Europa league tie it is back to league action and to the Emirates for the visit of Brighton, so let's hope we can finish the week with two more wins.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS

Gunners progress after Walcott downs Rovers

Cup football is often unpredictable, but Arsenal managed to progress through to round four of the Carabao Cup as Theo Walcott's goal gave them a 1-0 win over plucky Doncaster.

Although it was far from the perfect performance by the hosts, the prize for the Gunners' victory is a home tie against Championship side Norwich in the fourth round.

After starting the game at a decent pace and creating plenty of opportunities it looked as though it could be a day of several goals for the Gunners, but instead they had to settle for just the one against their battling League One opponents.

Doncaster goalkeeper Ian Lawlor had a busy opening 45 minutes, but it was the visitors who had the first chance after just 30 seconds. Rodney Kongolo, who is on loan at Rovers from Manchester City, saw his shot well saved by David Ospina in the Arsenal goal.

Lawlor was called into action for the first time in the game soon after as he kept out Walcott's strike before Olivier Giroud saw his penalty appeal turned down when he appeared to have been pulled down in the box.

Arsenal looked in a confident attacking mood as Alexis Sanchez sent a shot just off target, while Giroud's superb acrobatic effort hit the crossbar.

Lawlor parried a free-kick from Sanchez before Giroud headed just over following a great cross from Mohamed Elneny. But the Gunners were not to be denied after 25 minutes as Walcott latched onto a quality ball over the top from Sanchez before slotting the ball beyond Lawlor.

Jack Wilshere sent a long-range shot just wide, while Giroud volleyed just over the bar as the chances continued to come and go for Arsenal.

Walcott had the chance to double his tally in the first half, but Niall Mason made a crucial block to put the ball behind for a corner. At the other end, Doncaster forward Alfie May saw his shot hit the side netting.

Arsenal wasted the chance to double their lead on the stroke of half-time as youngster Reiss Nelson saw his shot spilled by Lawlor, but the goalkeeper managed to reclaim the ball at the second attempt as the Gunners took a narrow 1-0 lead in at the break.

To some extent it had been an impressive attacking half from Arsenal, but the fact it was only 1-0 was disappointing and we really must get better at taking our chances and killing games off.

Walcott came close to adding his second within three minutes of the restart when he latched onto Giroud's pass, but the striker's effort went over the bar. Walcott thought the ball had diverted off Lawlor and behind, but a goal kick was given.

Doncaster didn't get too many opportunities, but very nearly made Arsenal pay for their missed chances shortly before the hour mark. Nelson gifted possession to Doncaster and May burst clear upfield, but fortunately for the hosts Ainsley Maitland-Niles showed great pace to track back and bail his team-mate out.

Lawlor was again called into action as he parried Nelson's effort wide for a corner before Doncaster wasted three chances in quick succession. Liam Mandeville's cross was headed over by Andy Butler before Rovers' substitute John Marquis twice shot off target.

Doncaster were nearly in again when Maitland-Niles gifted the ball to them and Ben Whiteman raced forward, but the Arsenal youngster once again showed great pace to win possession back.

The late flurry of Doncaster chances continued as Mandeville's shot was deflected wide for a corner by defender Per Mertesacker.

Arsenal should really have added to their lead before the end, but Giroud sent a shot into the side netting before Rob Holding sent his effort straight at Lawlor.

Lawlor produced an excellent save to parry substitute Alex Iwobi's effort in injury time, but he was unable to prevent Arsenal from ending victorious.

OPPOSITION VIEW
Doncaster fan Ian Joyce was full of praise for his side despite the result.

"It was a great performance," said Joyce. "All you can do in these games is give everything and we did and I'm so proud of my home team.

"To keep them at 1-0 is a fantastic effort. No-one gave us a chance and we could have shocked them. I'm happy with them all.

"We've been unlucky in most games. If we play with that effort, energy and commitment we will be fine."

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
We may not have been as clinical as I would have liked, but we did what mattered most and got the job done by progressing into the fourth round.

Focus must now turn back to the Premier League and the visit of West Brom. Nothing other than a win will do from this one, but it will be far from easy as the Baggies have been a banana skin for us a fair few times over the years.

We'll need to do better at making our chances count and keep it very tight at the back. It won't be easy, but if we can play to our potential there's no reason why we can't get the three points.

The season is still in its infancy, but we need to make sure we prove ourselves and get wins from our next three league games against West Brom, Brighton and Watford. It won't be easy, but it is certainly possible!

COME ON YOU GUNNERS

Battling Gunners earn draw at Bridge

It was a shame we couldn't end our winless record at Stamford Bridge, but a much-improved performance at least saw us take a share of the spoils in a goalless draw against champions Chelsea.

Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette and Chelsea's Pedro wasted the best chances of the match before Shkodran Mustafi saw his headed goal ruled out for offside. The hosts were reduced to 10-men following the late dismissal of David Luiz as both teams held out for a draw.

After the 4-0 defeat at Liverpool in their last away league game it was important to put things right and to prove we can match the bigger sides rather than just crumbling under pressure. Although it is disappointing that we couldn't take our chances and win, it was a hard-fought draw and our defence was vastly improved to keep Chelsea at bay.

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech had to be alert to keep out early efforts from Pedro and Cesc Fabregas before the visitors began to grow into the game.

The Gunners had a great chance to break the deadlock after 16 minutes, but Danny Welbeck's header sailed just wide before Lacazette saw his strike well saved by Thibaut Courtois soon after.

Arsenal looked a lot more confident than the fragile team that had faced Liverpool a few weeks earlier and, although I still wasn't too confident about getting a result it was at least giving me hope.

Chelsea really should have opened the scoring after 21 minutes when Pedro was put clear on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat following Fabregas' pass. But the Spanish forward took his time before getting a shot away, which Cech did well to block. It was a decent save from the goalkeeper, but the Chelsea man should have done far better with the opportunity and it was a big let off for Arsenal.

Granit Xhaka tried his luck from outside the box, but his powerful strike went just wide before Arsenal missed arguably their best chance of the match four minutes before the break. Man of the match Aaron Ramsey got the better of the defence to get through on goal and his shot beat Courtois and hit a post. Lacazette looked in a decent position to have buried the rebound, but he blazed his effort over the crossbar.

Luiz picked up his first booking of the match when he attempted an overhead kick but connected with Laurent Koscielny instead of the ball.

Alexis Sanchez came off the bench with 24 minutes remaining and, although he didn't do too much on the day I was surprised he hadn't started the match.

Welbeck was forced off with a groin injury after 71 minutes with Olivier Giroud coming on in his place to add a big airiel threat in attack. But it was in fact the head of his team-mate Mustafi that for a second looked like it could have won Arsenal the match. The German defender powered home a header 15 minutes from time, but the goal was ruled out for offside and in truth it looked like the correct decision from the officials.

Chelsea substitute Eden Hazard tried to make his mark on the game, but his curling strike was well saved by Cech. The visitors had to play the final three minutes of normal time with 10 men after Luiz was shown a red card following a clumsy challenge on Sead Kolasinac. It was very careless and could have given Arsenal a big advantage, but unfortunately there wasn't really much time left for it to have too much affect on the game.

OPPOSITION VIEW
Chelsea fan Paul Gedeon believes a draw was a "fair result", but has warned his side must be careful not to lose any more ground if they are to compete for the title this season.

"Over 90 minutes a draw was a fair result despite Arsenal having one or two more chances," said Gedeon. "The Gunners looked up for this game and went away from their expansive football to pick up a more compact approach.

"Chelsea looked far from their best. The return of Cahill sounded promising but he looked far from his best. Fabregas and Kante were shut down quickly and couldn't get their mojo together.

"Arsenal managed to close down the front three well with a press and they had no rhythm. If Pedro scores in the first half it could have been different. In my opinion Chelsea were not expecting this Arsenal approach which is why they were nullified really well.

"The David Luiz challenge was reckless and once he saw red, the best Chelsea could hope for was a draw. All in all a fair result, Arsenal came with one job and done it well.

"Chelsea now must take the point and move on. Still very early in the season and we only sit three points behind both Manchester clubs. We must not lose any more ground or a title challenge can be a tough ask."

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
In many ways I am happy with the draw at Chelsea, but due to already having dropped points against Liverpool and Stoke we could have done without dropping another two so it was hard to be 100% satisfied.

With two home games coming up next we need to ensure we take advantage and get decent results, but we need to do better at taking our chances when it counts. I don't feel we are quite equipped to sustain a serious title challenge, but if we are to have any hope at all we need to put in more composed performances as we did at Chelsea, but with better finishing, and also ensure we never repeat games like at Liverpool.

The visit of Doncaster in the Carabao Cup is likely to see a lot of rotation and chances given to youngsters, but I'm still expecting us to get a positive result.

We then return to league action with a home game against West Brom. I am taking nothing for granted as the Baggies have proved to be a banana skin for us in the past, but if we want this to be a season to remember nothing other than three points will do from this one.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS

Sanchez stunner earns Gunners Europa victory

An Alexis Sanchez wonder goal saw Arsenal produce a great second-half fightback and ensure their Europa League campaign started with a 3-1 victory over FC Cologne.

The game was delayed by an hour in the interests of crowd safety, but I would much rather focus on what happened on the pitch at the Emirates, although things got worse for the hosts as they fell behind to Jhon Cordoba's long-range strike after just 10 minutes.

When the draw was first done and Arsenal were put into a group alongside Cologne, Bate Borisov and Red Star Belgrade it was very uninspiring...much like the first half at the Emirates!

It was a very poor first half from the Gunners, but Arsene Wenger's men definitely made up for it after the restart where they showed a lot more hunger and desire to win the game, picking up a deserved three-point haul thanks to goals from substitute Sead Kolasinac, Sanchez and Hector Bellerin.

But the slow start in the first half is something that really needs addressed, especially with a trip to champions Chelsea next on the horizon.

Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina made a complete mess of things as he rushed from his line to make a clearance and gifted possession straight back to the opposition. Although poor goalkeeping played a big part in the opening goal, Cordoba still deserves huge credit for taking advantage of the situation and showing great vision to score as he lobbed his Colombian international colleague from distance.

The hosts nearly produced an instant response, but Olivier Giroud's effort was tipped over the crossbar by Timo Horn in the Cologne goal, who then saved another header from Nacho Monreal soon after.

Theo Walcott should have done better after latching onto a pass from Alex Iwobi, but the forward scuffed his shot wide under pressure from Cologne defender Konstantin Rausch.

The offside flag came to Arsenal's rescue shortly before the half-hour mark. Ospina fumbled a cross from Rausch before appearing to bring down Jonas Hector in the box. Fortunately for the Gunners the offside flag had already been raised and it was a big let off for the hosts. It was not so fortunate for Hector though as the Cologne defender was forced off injured soon after.

Arsenal tried, but failed, to get back into the game before half-time as Mohamed Elneny sent a shot wide before Giroud headed off target following a decent cross by Sanchez.

After a disappointing first half I was genuinely wondering if this was going to turn into a European nightmare for us, but luckily substitute Kolasinac had other ideas. Less than five minutes after coming off the bench the left-back levelled the scores with a great volley. Walcott's touch had taken him away from goal, but he managed to get a cross in which deflected up into the air and Kolasinac met it with a powerful volley into the net.

Arsenal could have been celebrating another volleyed goal soon after had Iwobi not sent his effort over the bar. At the other end, Leonardo Bittencourt stung the palms of Ospina with a long-range strike, but it was Arsenal who were now looking by far the better team.

The hosts had the bit between their teeth and came close to taking the lead after 63 minutes, only to be denied by a decent save from Horn. Ainsley Maitland-Niles made a great run through midfield with a few one-twos on route before skipping around the last defender, but Horn was out quickly to block his effort.

But the Cologne goalkeeper could do nothing about the stunning strike from Sanchez four minutes later. The Chilean international was forced wide to the left and cut back inside, holding off numerous challenges before somehow curling the ball into the far corner. It was a truly great goal and one that shows just why we needed to keep him this summer.

Although Arsenal were very much in the ascendancy they didn't have it all their own way, with Ospina having to be alert to parry Cordoba's drive behind for a corner.

Sanchez tried to grab his second goal of the game, but his free-kick was saved by Horn before he lifted another shot wide soon after. At the other end, Cologne sub Milos Jojic saw his strike comfortably saved by Ospina.

Arsenal put the result beyond doubt as Bellerin netted their third goal of the evening eight minutes from time. Kolasinac put in a low cross and substitute Jack Wilshere sold a great dummy, confusing two defenders in the process, before Walcott saw his shot parried by Horn. But Bellerin was on hand to sweep home the rebound and seal a much-needed win for the Gunners.

Youngster Reiss Nelson came on for the final eight minutes of the match and he looks like he could be one to watch for the future.

Arsenal very nearly added a fourth goal two minutes from time following some sublime build-up play. Some fine passing and a few cheeky back-heels helped the Gunners break forward, but the move sadly wasn't rewarded with an end product as Sanchez's chip sailed across goal and wide.

Cologne tried to reduce the deficit late on, but Bittencourt's effort was blocked by the defence as Arsenal held on for a vital win.

GROUP H
It is still very early days after just one round of fixtures, but Arsenal are where they want to be at the top of Group H. Red Star Belgrade and Bate Borisov shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw to leave the Gunners two points clear of their nearest rivals.

A trip to Belarus to face Bate Borisov awaits in the next round of Europa League fixtures later this month and, although it has the potential to be a tricky match, we should really be targeting maximum points from this one.

It is hard to really analyse the direction of our Europa League journey after just one game, but we need to make sure we play less like the first half and more like the second in the coming weeks if it is to be a successful one.

Anything other than getting top spot in Group H would be a disappointment for me, but as I have learnt from watching Arsenal over the years, anything is possible and I am taking nothing for granted.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Hopefully we can build on the second-half display and the goal from Sanchez can really kick-start his season.

I'm still not overly confident about how we will do this season, but it is vital we go to Chelsea with the right attitude if we are to have any chance of getting something from the game.

Arsene Wenger has a superior record over his Chelsea counter-part Antonio Conte in competitive fixtures between the two sides and players and fans alike will be keen to banish the memories of our last away match - the horror show at Anfield.

The season may still be in its infancy, but for me the next league game is an ideal chance for us to prove a point. We need to prove we are not going to just fade with a whimper and that we can compete with our biggest rivals in the Premier League. We need to have the right attitude and show plenty of mental strength and desire and the performance is just as important as the result at Stamford Bridge.

There is potential for a lot to go right...or wrong...and we need to make sure it isn't the latter. Now is the time to try and hold our heads high and prove a point, but if we fail to do so things could spiral out of control. The manner of the performance at Chelsea really is key and we have to get everything spot on so let's all get behind the lads!

COME ON YOU GUNNERS

Danny double helps Gunners bounce back

With the Anfield horror show still fresh in the memory it was imperative to get back to winning ways against Bournemouth and Danny Welbeck's brace ensured we did just that.

Summer signing Alexandre Lacazette also got his name on the scoresheet as the Gunners recorded a 3-0 home win and, just as importantly, kept a clean sheet. By no means does it paper over the cracks of the defeat at Liverpool as there are still mistakes to be eradicated and plenty of hard work to be done. But at least we stopped the rut by getting back to winning ways rather than slipping further into crisis, so let's just hope this can be a turning point for us.

It took just six minutes for Arsenal to open the scoring as Welbeck headed in Sead Kolasinac's cross...just the start we needed! Arsenal very nearly doubled their advantage 10 minutes later, but Asmir Begovic produced a fine save to claw away Mesut Ozil's free-kick.

The Gunners continued to push forward, but were off target from their next attempt as Granit Xhaka shot over the crossbar from Lacazette's pass. But the hosts made no mistake shortly before the half hour mark when Ozil's long pass found Lacazette, who exchanged passes with Welbeck and fired home a powerful strike to give Begovic no chance.

Begovic nearly gifted Arsenal a third goal when his poor kick was blocked by Welbeck, but the Bournemouth goalkeeper recovered well to deny Lacazette from the rebound.

Kolasinac saw his shot blocked behind for a corner as Arsenal took a comfortable 2-0 lead going in at the break.

Bournemouth almost reduced the deficit within three minutes of the restart, but Jermain Defoe's header hit a post and the striker was unable to convert the rebound.

That miss proved costly for the Cherries as Arsenal put the result beyond doubt with their third goal two minutes later. Welbeck latched onto a perfectly-timed pass from Aaron Ramsey before slotting the ball beyond Begovic and into the bottom-left corner of the net.

Ozil sent a shot just off target following Hector Bellerin's lofted pass before Ramsey was denied by Begovic from close range.

Arsenal continued to create chances as Welbeck's deft chipped shot went just wide as the striker attempted to complete what would have been a great hat-trick.

Substitute Francis Coquelin saw his powerful strike deflected behind for a corner by Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake. Alexis Sanchez, almost set up a fourth for Arsenal with a fine pass, but his fellow substitute Olivier Giroud saw his effort well saved by Begovic.

Coquelin had been on the field for less than 15 minutes when he fell awkwardly and was forced off with a hamstring problem. With the Gunners having already used all of their permitted substitutions they were forced to see out the remaining minutes with 10 men.

Bournemouth tried to make the most of having an extra man, but Josh King's late header was well tipped over the bar by Petr Cech in the Arsenal goal.

Arsenal pushed forward in injury time with Sanchez forcing a great save out from Begovic, but it didn't stop the Gunners from running out as deserved victors.

OPPOSITION VIEW
Bournemouth fans Liam Searle and Tristan Chapman both believe the result has made their next match against Brighton all the more important.

"Obviously it was not the sort of result we were looking for, but hardly a surprise if I'm being realistic," said Searle. "Zero points at this stage of the season is frustrating but when the last two games have been against City and Arsenal I wouldn't have expected much.

"Conceding early was tiresome but the bigger problem was offering nothing. I expected Arsenal to have a point to prove and I really rated Lacazette when he signed for them so at least I was proved right.

But getting 41% possession and only two shots on target makes it clear we aren't getting anywhere, and you could tell from the season's start this wasn't going to be like the 3-3 game at home last season.

"Eddie Howe should never be discussed in the sack race but this makes the Brighton game on Friday an absolutely vital three points, for pride alone."

Chapman echoed his fellow fan's sentiments adding: "Arsenal bounced back well after the Liverpool defeat. The Cherries on the other hand have yet to find their feet this season.

"I thought they would build on the performance from the City match but evidently that wasn't the case. The next match against Brighton is going to be the acid test.

"Lacazette appears to be a class act. Now Sanchez is going nowhere he may as well knuckle down and play."

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
That was just the kind of result we needed to get our season back on track, but we need to make sure we prove the Liverpool defeat was just a blip and not the signs of another frustrating season.

We will get the ideal chance to prove this in our next league game away at champions Chelsea. Games at Chelsea are always tough and we will undoubtedly be the underdogs, but whatever the result we still have a big point to prove and need to show we can match these kind of sides and not fall away pathetically. This match really is huge!

But before we can even think about that we must focus our attentions on our first Europa League group game - the visit of German side FC Cologne!

Our group isn't exactly inspiring and makes me feel even more frustrated about us not being in the Champions League this season, but we can't change the past and we just have to get on with it and try make sure we can have a European adventure.

We must also remember that winning the Europa League is a possible route into the Champions League so we need to take it very seriously.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS