PLAYER RATINGS: Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard shines with early brace to lead his side to victory

Arsenal made it three wins from three at the start of the Premier League season this evening with a dominant 3-0 win over Bournemouth. 

Captain Martin Odegaard got the ball rolling after just five minutes when Mark Travers parried Gabriel Martinelli’s effort straight to the midfielder, and netted again before William Saliba curled home a fine effort from the edge of the area to seal the three points. 

We assess the performances of each of the players on what was a successful evening for Mikel Arteta’s side.

William Saliba (centre) was also in fine form and curled home a stunning third Arsenal goal

ARSENAL

Ramsdale: Had nothing to do the entire first half, such was Arsenal’s dominance. Dealt with everything well in the second. 6

White: Linked up well with Saka down the right-hand side, created the second goal and was defensively solid throughout. 6

Saliba: Classy performance from the Frenchman. Made everything look easy and scored a brilliant goal to seal the win. 7

Saliba has shone for Arsenal in his three appearances for the club after returning from loan

Gabriel: Struggled to deal with the stature of Bournemouth’s front two at the start, but grew into the game. 6

Zinchenko: Another great game from the Ukrainian. Dealt with Bournemouth’s attackers with relative ease and was a problem going forward. 7

Partey: Rather sloppy in the opening exchanges, but regrouped and controlled the tempo from deep. 6

Xhaka: Another assist for the Swiss midfielder. A very solid and combative performance and is a key component in this team. 7

Saka: A good performance from the youngster. Would have hoped for more opportunities but played a key role in the win. 7

Odegaard: Two quick-fire goals from the captain. Was the cog that kept the Arsenal machine ticking. 9

Odegaard controlled the game for Arsenal and picked up two early goals for his side

Martinelli: Showed flashes of brilliance as the Brazilian terrified Bournemouth’s right-hand side. Extra composure needed in front of goal. 7

Jesus: Outstanding once again. Too hot to handle for Bournemouth’s defence. A real asset for Mikel Arteta. 8

SUBSTITUTES

Emile Smith Rowe: Good minutes for the midfielder. Had chances to score but will be a key asset to the team. 6

Nketiah: Unable to impose himself on the game given the limited minutes. More to come from the Englishman. 5

Tomiyasu: Solid once he entered the fray. Contained Bournemouth’s attacks well and will be a key player once fully fit. 6

Lokonga and Tierney: Both ran around a bit after coming on late. N/A

Mikel Arteta: It appears something is happening under the leadership of the Spaniard. Bigger tests to come but a brilliant start. 

Mikel Arteta’s side have picked up three wins from their first three games of the season

BOURNEMOUTH 

Travers: Not at fault for any of Arsenal’s goals. Was called upon a couple of times in the second half but did well. 6

Smith: Was unable to contain Martinelli or Jesus. Poor throughout, but needed support from his team-mates. 5

Kelly: Dealt with Arsenal’s front line for periods of the first half but overall not good enough. 5

Mepham: Had problems throughout, with the gaps between each defender allowing Arsenal the freedom of the Vitality Stadium. 4

Senesi: Struggled to deal with the frighteningly fluent Arsenal attack and was hauled off at half-time. 4

Marcos Senesi (left) struggled on his home debut for Bournemouth and was subbed early

Zemura: The fullback was unable to halt Arsenal’s fluid front four. Improved in the second half but not good enough defensively. 4

Lerma: Was unnoticeable throughout the game. Caught out numerous times by Arsenal’s energetic midfield. 4

Billing: Played as a second striker in the first half, but rarely was involved in play and came off in the second half. 4

Pearson: A shadow on the pitch. Ineffective in any of the team’s build-up and was also subbed off at the interval. 4

Tavernier: Tried to impact the game, but such was Arsenal’s dominance that that became impossible the longer the game went on. 5

Moore: Made himself a nuisance on Arsenal’s left-hand side. Worked with scraps throughout and struggled to get into the game. 6

Kieffer Moore was a nuisance for Bournemouth but struggled to help make anything happen

SUBSTITUTES

Cook: Not much of an impact from the midfielder. Did way more defending than he had hoped for. 4

Anthony: Had spells in the second half where he was able to get on the ball, but that was about it. 5

Christie: Saw a good amount of the ball, but was unable to impose any sort of threat towards the Arsenal goal with it. 4

Scott Parker: Outclassed tactically by his Spanish counterpart. Another good learning curve for the former midfielder with crucial games coming up. 

Scott Parker’s side have been dealt with a difficult run of early fixtures this campaign