Perhaps some time off was exactly what Arsenal needed. The layoff proved to be vital for the London side on Saturday as Arsenal captured a 3-0 win over Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium.

 

The Gunners -- now on six points in the Premier League -- wasted no time in taking the game to visitors on the day, with Danny Welbeck breaking the deadlock inside of six minutes. The sequence was set up by Sead Kolasinac's cross.

 

The 26-year-old notched his second goal of the match in the 50th minute, when Aaron Ramsey picked out Welbeck inside the Bournemouth area.

 

Arsenal is certainly getting a return on its lucrative summer addition of Alexandre Lacazette, who tallied his second goal of the season before the half-hour mark.

 

Meanwhile, Mesut Ozil had one of the best chances of the first half when the German's free kick in the 16th minute was denied by an acrobatic save from Bournemouth keeper Asmir Begovic.

 

Arsene Wenger brought on Alexis Sanchez with a quarter hour remaining to the pleasure of the Arsenal supporters.

 

There was a moment of worry late on for Wenger and Co., though, as second-half substitute Francis Coquelin exited the match with a non-contact injury after having been on the pitch for less than 15 minutes. 

 

The Gunners finished the match with 10 men after losing Coquelin to injury and already having used all three substitutes. 

 

Player ratings (1-10)

 

Cech: 5 -- Defoe's header looked like trouble, however, Cech can thank woodwork for the assist on that one. Quiet day at the office for the veteran.

 

 

Mustafi: 6 -- Strong match for the central defender. Not a lot of work for him and the rest of his back line to do, but held down the fort well.

 

Monreal: 5 -- Barely mentioned his name, but that's not a bad thing for an Arsenal defense that conceded four against Liverpool.

 

Bellerin: 6 -- Managed to get forward on a few occasions. Overall a quiet match though.

 

Ramsey: 7 -- Played provider on Welbeck's second and looked dangerous in final third on several occasions.

 

Xhaka: 6 -- Relatively quiet game, but controlled the midfield well.

 

Kolasinac: 7 -- It's clear when he's on the pitch he makes a difference for the Gunners out wide. Good effort and had an assist to show on the first goal.

 

Ozil: 6 -- Several strong deliveries and played the role of pest well, causing chaos for the Bournemouth back line.

 

Welbeck: 9 -- He's already surpassed his goal total from 2016/17. Assuming Welbeck stays healthy, he's a really good option for Wenger to have.

 

Lacazette: 8 -- High work rate and a very technical finisher. The Frenchman has done wonders for Arsenal thus far when he's been on the field.

 

Substitutes -- Francis Coquelin (67'), Alexis Sanchez (74'), Olivier Giroud (74')

@MattReedFutbol