100% START: Arsenal thump Bournemouth to go top

Arsenal swept aside Bournemouth to continue their perfect start and rise to the top of the Premier League table.

Captain Martin Odegaard put the Gunners in control inside the opening 10 minutes with a well-taken double.

After the break, William Saliba curled home a beautiful third before Gabriel Jesus saw his clever finish ruled out by VAR for offside.

It is the first time Arsenal have won their opening three fixtures since the 2004-05 season.

Bournemouth had won their first home game back in the Premier League against Aston Villa and there was a rousing feel to this Saturday teatime kick-off at the division’s smallest ground.

It took a mere five minutes for that feeling to be punctured as Odegaard tapped in after Bournemouth keeper Mark Travers had saved Gabriel Martinelli’s low strike.

The Norway midfielder struck again shortly after when he nabbed the ball off Jesus’ toes to sweep a clinical left-footed finish past the helpless Cherries keeper.

Arsenal bided their time before sealing the win but did it in style when the impressive Saliba elegantly found the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.

Jesus was then denied a deserved goal by a tight VAR review that ruled him just offside from Odegaard’s clever through ball.

It is very early days – and there are far harder tests to come – but the Gunners have laid down a marker with their superb start to the season.

William Saliba has now scored two goals this season, this strike following up his own goal against Leicester last Saturday.

Wins against Crystal Palace and Leicester meant Arteta had no qualms naming the same starting line-up for this one, the first time Arsenal have had an unchanged team for their opening three fixtures since the 2003-04 season – the last time they won the league.

It was clear from kick-off that confidence is high and Odegaard’s early opener was reward for fine build-up, including a dynamic run from Jesus to create the chance for Martinelli.

Odegaard’s quiet influence on this Arsenal side was made more obvious when he doubled the lead five minutes later.

Young France centre-back Saliba has won plenty of plaudits already this season and capped another fine performance with a delicious strike into the top corner from Granit Xhaka’s cutback.

For the raucous travelling fans, the only thing missing from a perfect away day was a Jesus goal, the Brazil striker having one disallowed before being denied by a fine Travers save late on.

With an appealing run of fixtures ahead, the Gunners have a chance to make their presence felt at the top of the table.

For Bournemouth, Scott Parker responded to last Saturday’s heavy defeat at Manchester City by naming a physical side, the selections of Ben Pearson, Jefferson Lerma and Kieffer Moore no doubt intended to unsettle Arsenal.

Instead, it left them sluggish to the Gunners’ slick passing and unable to get out when penned in their own half. Changes at the break brought a brief improvement, only for Saliba’s strike to squash them again.

The Cherries are in need of reinforcements, with defenders and forwards both surely on Scott Parker’s wishlist after new signing Marcos Senesi was given a torrid time by Jesus on his full Bournemouth debut.

They will have more mobility upfront when Dominic Solanke is fully fit, but against this class of opposition, the squad looks short of Premier League quality.

With a daunting trip to Anfield up next, it may get worse before it gets better for Parker’s side.