Mesut Ozil, Arsenal Dominate Bournemouth En Route to 5-1 Premier League Win

Arsenal maintained their place inside the top four of the Premier League table with a 5-1 victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday night at Emirates Stadium in London.

The Gunners, who moved ahead of Manchester United with Sunday's triumph against Southampton, picked up their fifth win in their past six league matches.

Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Laurent Koscielny, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette scored for Unai Emery's side as they moved one step closer to earning a Champions League berth for next season.

Bournemouth failed to win a Premier League match in February (0-1-3) after the Cherries finished January with a convincing 4-0 win over Chelsea. Lys Mousset found the net in Wednesday's defeat.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan Emerging As X-Factor in Arsenal's Top-Four Hopes

Mkhitaryan struggled to make a consistent impact during the early stages of the campaign. He scored just two goals across his first 13 Premier League appearances, including six straight matches from late August through mid-November where he failed to record a goal or an assist.

Then, just as the 30-year-old Armenia international showed signs of life with a two-goal performance against Southampton in December, he suffered a foot injury that sidelined him for nearly two months.

The Gunners added fellow midfielder Denis Suarez on loan from Barcelona during Mkhitaryan's absence to create some additional depth in case his struggles continued.

Instead, the former Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United contributor has played his best football of the season since returning earlier this month. His improved form was on full display on Sunday with a goal and an assist in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Southampton.

Mkhitaryan shone again on Wednesday as he returned to the scoresheet with another goal and two second-half assists to help the Gunners pull away from Bournemouth before he was subbed off in the 64th minute.

It's not just the numbers that have impressed, though. He's showcased a strong connection with Mesut Ozil, who's been an attacking force since his own return from injury in late January.

Mkhitaryan hasn't always lived up to expectations since arriving at the Emirates in January 2018 as part of the deal that sent Alexis Sanchez to United. His talent has exceeded his production with Arsenal, but now he's finally starting to string together several good performances in a row.

That's great news for the Gunners as they attempt to hold off United and Chelsea in the top-four race.

What's Next?

Arsenal open March with four games in a 13-day span, including Premier League matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United as well as Europa League round-of-16 fixtures with Rennes. The busy stretch kicks off Saturday at Wembley Stadium in a north London derby clash with Spurs.

Bournemouth return home to Vitality Stadium to face title contenders Manchester City on Saturday.