Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's goals are key to Arsenal's top-four finish

Arsenal came back from his two-week international stint, looking to extend his unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions, but faced a tough match ahead of Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium.

On paper, there were only four points left between the two teams and the Unai Emery team was shaken by the announcement that Alexandre Lacazette would not appear because of a minor injury . The star player Mesut Ozil was surprisingly gone on the substitutes' bench while Emery opted for three defenders at the back, Sokratis starting alongside Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding.

Eddie Howe was one of the outsiders mentioned to replace former Gunners boss Arsene Wenger two seasons ago and his Cherries team threatened Arsenal with a combination of speed and strength in attack.

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21-year-old David Brooks, who had just won Bournemouth's player of the month, looked dangerous on the left, while Calum Wilson, the new star of the English squad, confided to Mustafi and cons. all kinds of problems.

The Emery players were lucky with their opening match as Jefferson Lerma stole the ball in front of his own goalkeeper from Sead Kolasinac's center. The strike would have been the goal of the month had it been listed on the right side.

However, the equalizer was never far away and Joshua King brilliantly ended a counter-attack at halftime quick shooting, which had started when Alex's shot Iwobi was blocked. Arsenal could have stopped the move by committing a cynical foul, and the Gunners' naivety recalled last season's defense problems under Wenger.

Indeed, the real difference between Arsenal and its other four major competitors, Chelsea and Manchester United, lies in their ability to score even if they do not produce brilliant performances.

Emery would have known that they had managed their luck against the Wolves by escaping with a point, and they had Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to save them on that occasion while the Gabonese tapped on the Kolasinac center for ensure a 2-1 win.

Another key difference is the presence of a leading striker in Aubameyang. He has now scored 14 goals in his 16 Premier League matches played on a Sunday, 78% of his total in the competition.

This season, he is now the top scorer in the Premier League alongside Sergio Aguero of Manchester City. Compare that to Chelsea, who strives horribly to find a prolific No.9 – Olivier Giroud scoring his first goal of the season on Saturday – and Manchester United, who saw Romelu Lukaku two and a half months without finding the goal . net.

At the end of the season, the objectives of Aubameyang, as well as those of Lacazette, could well make the difference between getting a place among the first four or not. Even though he has remained on the left wing for most of the season, Aubameyang is ruthless as soon as he has the opportunity.

While Arsenal extends his unbeaten run to 17 games, Emery will certainly be proud to find that he's almost as proud as the group of players who finished sixth last season seems ready to race through the walls of bricks. And with the murderer Aubameyang in attack, who knows where Arsenal can go?