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Leicester City's 2-1 loss away to Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday meant Arsenal had a chance to climb into third place when they hosted Eddie Howe's Bournemouth at the Emirates.
A ninth-minute goal by David Luiz was enough to hand Unai Emery's men all three points and would see Arsenal head into the international break in the top three just a point behind Manchester City.
It was, however, not smooth sailing for the Gunners, as the Cherries sliced open their defence on occasion and would have left North London with something but for a lack of composure in the final third and some poor finishing.
The result means Arsenal got back to winning ways after posting a goalless stalemate with Manchester United on Monday and Unai Emery would have been pleased with the application of a number of his players in the game.
Here, we shall be having a rundown of five players who impressed for Arsenal in the clash with Bournemouth.
#5 Calum Chambers
Arsenal have been without the services of regular right-back Hector Bellerin since he tore his ACL in January and in his absence, coach Unai Emery has experimented in the role with numerous players.
However, Calum Chambers has also been deployed there on occasion, and in the game against Bournemouth, he started on the right flank of defence and put up a masterclass performance.
His work-rate and defensive contributions were invaluable, as he played a key role in keeping Joshua King and Diego Rico quiet, while he made four tackles and clearances each in addition to one interception.
Although his attacking input was less impactful, he still attempted four crosses and with Bellerin back to full fitness, Chambers has shown that he is willing to battle for the starting shirt at right-back.
#4 Nicolas Pepe
Pepe arrived at Arsenal in the summer for a club-record fee after starring with OSC Lille in the French League, but bar a sparkling debut against Liverpool, the Ivorian international is yet to hit the ground running at the Emirates and has come in for some stinging criticism after a host of sub-par performances.
As far as displays go, Pepe's against Bournemouth did not exactly create fireworks, but it was a massive step-up from what the 24-year-old has done in recent weeks.
He was responsible for assisting the only goal of the game, as it was his ninth minute out-swinging corner that was headed in by David Luiz to put Arsenal ahead.
Pepe made a name for himself as a direct dribbler at Lille and against the Cherries, he completed three dribbles, while he also sent in three crosses although his pass completion ratio of 66.7% left a lot to be desired.
He was substituted for Gabriel Martinelli after 63 minutes and with the international break coming up, Pepe has an opportunity to rediscover his best form away from the gruelling stage of the Premier League.
#3 Sead Kolasinac
Kolasinac has been a regular but non-flamboyant member of the Arsenal defence since arriving in 2017 and has discharged his duties effectively with minimum fuss.
Having started the season out of the first-team picture owing to the carjacking incident involving him and Mesut Ozil, the 26-year-old has been restored to the starting lineup in recent weeks and he reemphasized his importance to the cause with another dominant display at the back.
The Bosnian international was efficient in both his defensive and attacking contributions, making three tackles in the game while he attempted three crosses going forward.
Kolasinac's pass accuracy of 82.2% was the third-highest for players who played above 75 minutes and he played a key role in helping Arsenal to their first Premier League clean sheet since the opening day.
With new signing Kieran Tierney back to full fitness, Unai Emery would have two quality options for the left-back position, but Kolasinac did his chances of starting a world of good with his display against Bournemouth.
#2 Matteo Guendouzi
Guendouzi has earned rave reviews since arriving at Arsenal from Lorient in July 2018 and it seems as though his stock rises with every passing week.
The 20-year-old has set high standards for himself with the level of his performances but seems to be unfazed by the expectations, despite playing amidst players with much more experience than him.
Guendouzi is pretty much a guaranteed starter these days and he was one of the stand-out players in the game against Bournemouth.
The French U-21 international was deployed on the left of a midfield three alongside Grant Xhaka and Dani Ceballos and he outperformed both men with his displays in the middle of the park.
His defensive contributions were invaluable, as he made two tackles and three clearances, while he also made one key pass and had a pretty impressive passing accuracy of 80.8%.
#1 David Luiz
David Luiz was a deadline-day arrival at Arsenal during the summer, with the 32-year-old arriving to shore up what has been a problematic area for the Gunners.
The Brazilian has earned unfavourable reviews for his defensive lapses over the years and he did not do too much to improve that reputation, as Arsenal failed to keep a clean sheet in any of the first six matches he played for the club.
However, for all of his defensive shortcomings, the former Brazilian international is extremely good with the ball which makes him suited to the tactical demands of Unai Emery.
Having drawn blanks in his first seven matches in all competitions for the Gunners, Luiz finally opened his account against Bournemouth, rising highest to head home a Nicolas Pepe corner in the ninth minute.
He also discharged his duties effectively at the other end, helping Arsenal to only their second clean sheet of the season.
