Arsenal 3 Bournemouth 0: Danny Welbeck and Alexandre Lacazette ease Emirates pressure on Arsene Wenger

Danny Welbeck scored either side of an Alexandre Lacazettestrike as Arsenal eased to a comfortable 3-0 Emirates victory over Bournemouth on Saturday.

With manager Arsene Wenger under pressure following consecutive Premier League defeats, the Gunners were much improved as Eddie Howe's Cherries proved no match for the north Londoners.

If this is what life could have been like without Alexis Sanchez, perhaps Arsenal should just have taken the £60million.

In the Gunners’ first match since the Chilean’s move to Manchester City collapsed, they looked potent enough even with last season’s top scorer left on the bench.

Welbeck kept his place but was shifted to the left flank as Lacazette came in to lead the line with Mesut Ozil in support.

Equally significantly Hector Bellerin was restored to the right flank in a 3-4-2-1 that featured Sead Kolasinac wide left, with Shkodran Mustafi restored to defence after his move to Inter Milan collapsed.

Immediately Wenger’s side looked a far cry from the disorganised rabble who had fallen apart at Anfield. Mustafi covered the rare counters spearheaded by Jermain Defoe while the front three interchanged to devastating effect.

It took only six minutes for Arsenal to take the lead thanks to a flowing move down the left flank. Aaron Ramsey, unrecognisable from the absentee midfielder who had so struggled in the 4-0 loss at Liverpool, slipped through an overlapping Kolasinac, whose clipped cross was just behind Welbeck.

The England international can never quite score an orthodox goal, with his header looping past Asmir Begovic via his shoulder.

If Arsenal had been fortunate to see that goal stand, they could feel aggrieved not to get a penalty on 40 minutes when Kolasinac’s volley was turned away from goal by Adam Smith’s arm.

In the meantime Arsenal had doubled their lead in style. Ozil, in the inside right channel, slipped a delicate pass into the path of Lacazette, between two centre-backs. A one-two with Welbeck and the France international let fly from the edge of the area, his powerful strike too precise for Begovic.

On many occasions a Defoe header that flicked off the post would be enough to spook Arsenal, but today it merely brought another goal: Lacazette stole possession in midfield; Ramsey drove forward with purpose; the pass to Welbeck was precise and the strike across goal even better, nestling just inside the far post.

With 16 minutes left Sanchez and Olivier Giroud were given a chance to get in on the act, though Arsenal were soon reduced to 10 men when fellow substitute Francis Coquelin injured his hamstring.

Arsenal still posed a threat on the break and Sanchez twice came close to teeing up Giroud with exceptional passes and seeing Begovic parry his own ferocious effort.

After two weeks of heightening pressure, this was the sort of routine win Arsenal needed. With Chelsea on the horizon it may not be long before further questions are asked, but for now Wenger can breathe a little easier.