Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Arsenal extended their unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions on Sunday with a 2-1 victory at Bournemouth.

It moved them within a point of the English Premier League (EPL) top four.

The home team’s record signing Jefferson Lerma, who cost 25 million pounds in August, scored a spectacular own goal to give Arsenal the lead.

But Norwegian international Josh King, back in the Bournemouth side after injury, equalised just before half-time.

That meant Unai Emery’s team have still never led at the halfway stage of a league game since he joined in the close season.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang slid in the Gunners’ second goal in the 68th minute and their three-man backline held out, although Lerma hit a post.

Arsenal can make up ground on their big local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are still three points ahead of them, by winning the north London derby next weekend.

Bournemouth stayed eighth after a third successive defeat in a testing period, with fixtures against Manchester City and Liverpool to come in the first eight days of December.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery, in his post-match comment, said he was delighted with the way his side responded after half-time.

“The result is very important. We spoke in the dressing room at half-time, the process is our mentality. The result is very important.

“When they scored we needed to keep calm, keep control and get better in small things on the pitch.

“We knew this was a difficult stadium. For them it was an important match. So, I am very happy for the players and the supporters, who pushed us today,” he said.

The match-winner Aubameyang, on his part, admitted that it was a tough game.

He added that he and his team mates had to dig deep to get a vital away win at the Vitality Stadium.

“I think we knew that it would be a tough game today — and it was tough. I scored to win [the game] and it’s nice.

“I saw Alex gave the ball to Sead and I sprinted into this area and he gave me a good pass.

“I think the goal [Josh King’s equaliser] before half time was bad for us because we knew that in the second half we would have to come back with intensity.

“We knew we had to do better than the first half. But we did.”

Asked if Arsenal are building something under Emery, he replied: “I think so. We are following the process, it is a process, and we continue in this way.

“The group is doing well. So, we try to continue in this way,” he said.