Arsenal might be able to beat Aston Villa without Declan Rice, but the midfielder was absolutely critical to the Gunners’ victory over Bournemouth on Saturday. Scoring his first Premier League brace, Rice’s two goals helped Arsenal move seven points clear of their main rivals for the title, Manchester City.

It was another heart-in-mouth end to the game as Mikel Arteta oversaw another one-goal margin victory, the fourth in the last five matches. It would be fair to say that if they are to go on to win the league in this fashion, the nerves of the fans will be shredded come May.

That said when you look at the game more broadly, the scoreline tells a different story to the reality. A gifted goal and an amazing strike from range, amongst a couple of half-chances for The Cherries, were offset by three deserved strikes, with other opportunities going to waste.

When Gabriel Magalhaes’ misplaced pass found it's way to a grateful Evanilson, there was...