MANCHESTER UNITED 0-0 CHELSEA - MARTIN SAMUEL AT OLD TRAFFORD: It may not be appreciated by the disillusioned masses, but there are at least two very good reasons to keep an eye on Manchester United and Chelsea this season. The goalkeepers. David De Gea and Thibaut Courtois were quite exceptional. Faultless, one might say, and not just because they didn't have much to do. This was really quite a good game, despite those twin zeros. Manchester United were livelier than they have been for some time and Chelsea carved out some extremely good chances, although not many of them, due to the absence of a specialist goalscorer.
It would take a hard-hearted man not to have revelled in the excellence of Mesut Ozil at The Emirates.
So it was Bournemouth, not Barcelona but nonetheless, there were periods of the game in which he played at a level which not only baffled his opponents but appeared to be dazzle his team-mates as well.
After a short spell late in the first half, when he had created at least four chances in almost as many minutes, he jogged over to take a corner to be met by a standing ovation.
Mesut Ozil doubled Arsenal's lead in the 63rd minute against Bournemouth as the Gunners claimed all three points on Monday night
The German celebrates after his goal confirmed Arsenal would return to the top of the Premier League table
Gabriel celebrates after giving Arsenal the lead against Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium 27 minutes into the first half
The Brazilian defender powers home his header which sent the Gunners top of the Barclays Premier League in their last game of 2015
Cherries goalkeeper Artur Boruc can only watch on helplessly as Gabriel's header sails into his top left-hand corner
England international Theo Walcott sees his effort on goal well saved by Boruc as Arsenal enjoyed the better of the opening 45 minutes
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain meets the ball with his head in a crowded penalty area during a positive opening period for the home side
MATCH FACTS, STATS, PLAYER RATINGS, PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE
Arsenal: Cech 7, Bellerin, 6 Mertesacker, 6 Gabriel, 8 Gibbs 7 (Monreal 82mins 6), Chambers, 7 Ramsey 6.5, Oxlade-Chamberlain, 6.5 (Iwobi 90) Ozil,9 Walcott 6, Giroud 7 (Campbell 81, 6.5)
Subs not used: Debuchy, Koscielny, Ospina, Reine-Adelaide
Goalscorers: Gabriel 27, Ozil 63
Booked: Ramsey, Chambers
Manager: Wenger 7
Bournemouth (4-1-4-1): Boruc 7, Smith, 6 Francis, 7 Cook, 6.5 Daniels, 5.5, Surman 6, Ritchie, 6.5 Gosling, 7 (O’Kane 6) Arter, 6.5 Pugh 6 (Stanislas HT 6), King 6.5 (Murray 81, 6)
Subs not used: Rantie, Federici, Tomlin, Distin
Manager: Howe 6.5
Referee: Roger East
Attendance: 59, 983
Mesut Ozil finished off a flowing Arsenal move to make it 2-0. For more
MATCH ZONE click here.
Never mind breaking Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists this season; he looked as if he might break it in this game.
Amidst a surplus of sublime contributions, there was a pass for Theo Walcott on 39 minutes which appeared to defy physics, in that there seemed to be no gap through which to pass. Every corner he took utterly perplexed Bournemouth, such was his un-erring accuracy.
Yet until his contribution on 28 minutes, when he picked out Gabriel from a corner, who glided past his marker Charlie Daniels and headed home decisively, Arsenal had in fact looked a little unsure of themselves.
Bournemouth were all energy and verve, Arsenal seemingly playing with lingering memories of the Southampton horror show. Marc Pugh and Daniels down the left looked to have the run of Hector Bellerin early on and Arsenal were in the unaccustomed role of conceding possession to their opponents.
Yet when the German took control of proceedings, it was as though the game had moved into a different dimension, one to which only Ozil was truly attuned and which made the match almost unplayable for the team without him.
Ozil had grabbed another assist as his expertly-taken corner kick found the head of Gabriel to give Arsenal a deserved lead
Gabriel jumps for a header which is touched onto the post during the opening 45 minutes at the Emirates on Monday night
Per Mertesacker should have doubled Arsenal's lead when the ball landed invitingly for him from head height only yards away from goal
The German defender could only head wide after Gabriel's effort had come off the post and was palmed into his path by Boruc
There was the corner for the goal, the pass for Walcott, but there was also another corner, on 40 minutes, which Gabriel flicked on the post. Amusingly, the ball rebounded off the post onto the face of Per Mertesacker, who was two yards out and apparently so alarmed to see the ball heading in his direction he managed to direct it past the post rather than inside it.
A minute later there was yet another threaded through ball for Walcott, which Artur Boruc did well to smother.
Bournemouth promised to rally in the second half and Joshua King really should have equalised for Bournemouth, dwelling on his chance and allowing Gabriel a last-ditch, saving tackle. Yet that man again proved the difference.
Olivier Giroud shows off his chest control as he looks to bring the ball down while under pressure from Bournemouth's Simon Francis
Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter looks to escape the attentions of Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey at the Emirates Stadium
Ramsey tussles for the ball with Bournemouth forward Joshua King in a goalmouth scramble during the first 45 minutes
He weighed up his options on 64 minutes, exchanged a lovely one-two with Olivier Giroud, before finishing through the legs of Boruc.
It is only his eighth goal of the season and that is the area in which he has to improve, if he is to become the kind of player who can challenge for the Ballon D’Or.
But at the rate he is going, that may not matter for Arsenal come the end of the season, especially if Alexis Sanchez can get fit.
Arsenal are in an un-nerving position for their supporters: not only are they top of the league, although perhaps only for 24 hours, but they look to be the team hitting their stride at the right time.
We’ve been here before, of course, and there’s always the potential for them to play like they did at Southampton. But if Ozil can sustain his form and his team-mates can provide adequate supporting roles, those days are look much more like aberrations rather than the norm.
Both sets of players and the Emirates crowd observe a minute of applause for the late former Arsenal player Don Howe