Gabriel Magalhaes scored his first goal since returning from injury as Arsenal defeated Bournemouth 3-2 to go six points clear at the top of the Premier League standings.
Aston Villa had moved into second place and were three points behind after their 3-1 win over Midland rivals Nottingham Forest.
Bournemouth took the lead at the Vitality Stadium through Evanilson in the 10th minute after Gabriel failed to intercept a pass in the build-up. The Brazilian centre-back however made amends by levelling matters six minutes later, much to the delight of the travelling Arsenal supporters.
Zero to hero 🦸♂️
Gabriel doesn’t make many mistakes, but when he does, he makes sure he redeems himself in style 😎 pic.twitter.com/RaHPiodYCe
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 3, 2026
Mikel Arteta’s side extended their lead on the south coast through a brace from Declan Rice, who was assisted by Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
Eli Junior Kroupi pulled one back for Bournemouth in the 76th minute, but it proved to be nothing more than a mere consolation.
Arsenal will next turn their attention to a home tie against reigning champions, Liverpool, on Thursday, followed by an FA Cup third round tie away at Portsmouth
