Arsenal paid £34m for a player whose time with the club appears to be coming to an end after falling out of favour with Mikel Arteta

Declan Rice has defended goal-shy Viktor Gyökeres, claiming Arsenal will not be able to end their 22-year wait for a Premier League title without him.

Two second-half strikes from Declan Rice helped Arsenal clinch a crucial 3–2 victory over Bournemouth to move further clear at the Premier League’s summit.

On an evening when Arteta felt able to put Saka and Leandro Trossard on the bench, it said a lot about Rice's importance to the side that he was brought straight back into the starting lineup.

Mikel Arteta rotated some of his team for Saturday's game at Bournemouth – but it was two of his main men who made the difference

Liverpool remains in fourth place on 34 points from 20 games, 14 behind leaders Arsenal and three ahead of fifth-placed Manchester United.

Preview the matchup between Arsenal FC and Aston Villa with predictions, odds, over/under, betting lines and more.

Arsenal doubled down on their strengths in pressing high. It took some time to click, but it was crucial to their success against Villa

The EA Sports FC 26 Team of the Week 16 squad will be released this week, replacing the EA Sports FC 26 TOTW 15 currently available in packs for Ultimate Team.

Mikel Arteta has downplayed the likelihood of Ethan Nwaneri leaving Arsenal on loan this month, insisting "every player has a role". Nwaneri came off the bench against Club Brugge in the Champions League in early December but has not played a single minute in the five matches since.