Arsenal's next five Premier League fixtures compared to title rivals after Bournemouth win

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Arsenal weathered an early setback and a late surge from Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium to bolster their standing at the summit of the Premier League . Goals from Gabriel Magalhaes and a brace from Declan Rice secured the victory, sandwiched between goals from Evanilson and Eli Junior Kroupi.

Despite a 10-match winless streak, the Cherries have shown promise on home turf, as evidenced by their fiery start to the match. Evanilson capitalised on a glaring error by Gabriel to put his side ahead just 10 minutes into the game.

However, the Gunners defender redeemed himself shortly after the 15-minute mark, pouncing on a loose ball following some excellent work by Noni Madueke.

The Cherries managed to keep Arsenal at bay for the rest of the first half but found themselves trailing 10 minutes into the second half when Rice slotted a shot past Djorde Petrovic, courtesy of a brilliant assist from Martin Odegaard.

Bukayo Saka made an immediate impact just four minutes after coming on, setting up Rice for his second goal of the match. Kroupi's superb strike made for a tense finale for the visitors, but they held firm to secure their fifth consecutive league win.

The three points were crucial for Arsenal in light of Aston Villa's earlier victory over Nottingham Forest , ahead of Manchester City taking on Chelsea. With all this in mind, Mirror Sport has examined the upcoming fixtures for Arsenal, Man City and Villa.

Liverpool (H) - Jan 8

Nottingham Forest (A) - Jan 17

Manchester United (H) - Jan 25

Leeds United (A) - Jan 31

Sunderland (H) - Feb 7

Verdict: The Gunners are set to face off against reigning champions Liverpool at the Emirates in their next match. Given the stark contrast in both teams' seasons since their last encounter, Mikel Arteta's side are tipped to come out on top.

Following that, Arsenal will travel to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest, who are currently in a relegation battle. They'll then return to their home turf for a showdown with Manchester United, before wrapping up January with an away game against Leeds United. February kicks off with Sunderland visiting the Emirates.

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Chelsea (H) - Jan 4

Brighton (H) - Jan 7

Man United (A) - Jan 17

Wolves (H) - Jan 24

Tottenham (A) - Feb 1

Verdict: Man City could soon be hot on Arsenal's heels given their upcoming fixtures. Pep Guardiola's squad have two home games lined up against Chelsea and Brighton at the Etihad.

They'll then head to Old Trafford for a Manchester derby, hoping to secure a domestic double over Manchester United. Wolves, who've yet to secure an away win, will visit the Etihad towards the end of the month.

February begins with a trip to Tottenham, where City will aim to avoid a repeat of their 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.

Crystal Palace (A) - Jan 7

Everton (H) - Jan 18

Newcastle (A) - Jan 25

Brentford (H) - Feb 1

Bournemouth (A) - Feb 7

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Verdict: Villa will be relieved to have returned to winning form given the challenges ahead. First up is a journey to Crystal Palace, a team they haven't beaten in their last six encounters, though they're currently on a six-game winless streak.

Everton are next to visit Villa Park, and while it may seem like an easy match on paper, the Toffees have only lost one of their last six away games. Their final league match of the month is a showdown at St James' Park, which is unlikely to end in another goalless draw like their opening day encounter.