Rice rises to Arsenal's occasion

Arsenal fought back from a goal down to beat Bournemouth 3-2 on Saturday, stretching their lead at the top of the Premier League as Aston Villa extended their winning run at home.

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Arsenal's Declan Rice celebrates scoring their second goal against Bournemouth.

(REUTERS)

A goal from Gabriel Magalhaes and two from the returning Declan Rice sent the Gunners six points clear of second-placed Villa and seven ahead of Manchester City.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised the character of his team, singling out Rice and Gabriel, whose sloppy pass set up Bournemouth for the opening goal.

"I love the character of Gabriel, the way he overcome that situation — it's just unbelievable, it says a lot about how much we've grown," he told Sky Sports.

"The team found a way to beat them and it's a massive win."

The Spaniard said that Rice had worked hard to be available after missing Tuesday's 4-1 home win against Villa with a knee problem.

"He has stretched himself to the very limit and the team were awarded with two great goals," he added.