Rice double helps Arsenal rally for win at Bournemouth and take six-point lead in Premier League

Declan Rice proved why he's a leading candidate to be the Premier League's player of the season by inspiring Arsenal to a come-from behind victory at Bournemouth that opened up a six-point lead on Saturday.

The England midfielder scored two second-half goals — with almost identical low, side-footed finishes — in a 3-2 win on the south coast.

Rice was a doubt for the match because of a knee injury that forced him out of the 4-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday. He was fit enough to return and was the difference between the teams.

“We are going to need everyone chipping in at different points so happy to help the team,” said Rice, who scored twice in a Premier League game for the first time.

Arsenal fell behind in the 10th minute when Evanilson stroked into an unguarded net after intercepting a woeful pass out from the back by Gabriel Magalhaes.

The Brazil center back made amends by lashing in the equalizer six minutes later, following a mazy run by Noni Madueke, for a second goal in as many starts since returning from six weeks out injured.

After Rice's double, a long-range strike by Bournemouth substitute Eli Junior Kroupi in the 76th minute made for a tense finale but Arsenal held on to record a fifth straight win, keeping Villa and Manchester City at arm's length in the title race.

Villa is the closest challenger to Arsenal after a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest.

City can return to second place, four points behind Arsenal, by beating Chelsea on Sunday.

Villa rebounded from its first loss in two months — at Arsenal — when captain John McGinn scored twice in the second half, building on England striker Ollie Watkins' long-range opener in first-half stoppage time.

Morgan Gibbs-White reduced the deficit to 2-1 in the 61st minute only for McGinn to restore Villa's two-goal cushion after a poor piece of goalkeeping from Forest's John Victor, who raced out of his area in an attempt to collect a ball over the top. McGinn easily rounded Victor and slotted the ball home from 30 yards (meters).

Victor went off injured immediately after the goal.

Villa's 11-game winning run — which included eight victories in the league — was ended on Tuesday by a 4-1 thumping by Arsenal.

Wolves beat West Ham 3-0 to finally claim a first league win of the campaign and end its historically bad start to a top-flight season.

No team has taken this long to record its first win in a Premier League since the competition’s inception in 1992.

Jhon Arias, Hwang Hee-chan and Mateus Mané scored first-half goals for Wolves, which moved onto six points, still 12 from safety with 18 games remaining.

Wolves manager Rob Edwards said he was torn between feeling “a bit of relief and really pleased.”

“We should enjoy it," he said, "but it’s only one win. That’s all it is.”

Wolves was only six points behind next-to-last Burnley, which lost at Brighton 2-0, and eight off third-to-last West Ham.

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo said his team's performance was “embarrassing” and the worst in his coaching career.

"I don’t recall one day that I felt so bad in a football pitch,” Nuno said.

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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Arsenal's Declan Rice celebrates after scoring his sides third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Arsenal in Bournemouth, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Arsenal's Declan Rice celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Arsenal in Bournemouth, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Brighton and Hove Albion's Georginio Rutter, left, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Hove Albion and FC Burnley in Brighton and Hove, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-Chan, right, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United in Wolverhampton, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Nigel French/PA via AP)

Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, right, has a shot saved by Nottingham Forest goalkeeper John Victor during their English Premier League soccer match in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Cody Froggatt/PA via AP)

Aston Villa's John McGinn celebrates scoring their side's second goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Nottingham Forest in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Cody Froggatt/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Aston Villa in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Cody Froggatt/PA via AP)

Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Nottingham Forest in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Cody Froggatt/PA via AP) /PA via AP)

Aston Villa's John McGinn celebrates scoring their side's third goal during their English Premier League soccer match in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

ATLANTA (AP) — Dee Alford's red-zone interception stopped a potential go-ahead drive by New Orleans, and the Atlanta Falcons beat the Saints 19-17 on Sunday to give the NFC South title to the Carolina Panthers.

By closing the season with four consecutive wins, the Falcons (8-9) finished in a three-way tie with Carolina and Tampa Bay for first place in the NFC South. The Panthers won the tiebreaker with the best record within the division.

The Falcons completed a season sweep of the Saints (6-11), who had their four-game winning streak end.

Tampa Bay stayed alive with a 16-14 home win over Carolina on Saturday. The Buccaneers needed a win or tie by the Saints on Sunday to win the division. The Panthers made the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and won the division for the first time in a decade.

Trailing 16-10, the Saints drove from their 25 to the Atlanta 20 before Alford returned his interception of Tyler Shough's pass intended for Dante Pettis 59 yards to the Saints 27 with 3:14 remaining. The play set up Zane Gonzalez's fourth field goal, a 38-yarder, to extend Atlanta's lead to nine points.

Shough answered with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Bell with 1:11 remaining, but Atlanta's Kyle Pitts recovered an onside kick.

While the NFC South winner was the big prize in the game, the Saints and Falcons played the opening quarter as if determined to show why they had long been eliminated from postseason contention.

On the Saints’ first play from scrimmage, tight end Juwan Johnson fumbled after a 26-yard reception and Xavier Watts recovered for Atlanta.

The Falcons then gave the ball back when defensive end Carl Granderson, who already had a sack, intercepted a pass from Kirk Cousins. Later in the opening quarter, Falcons safety Jammie Robinson blocked a punt by Kai Kroeger, and Feleipe Franks recovered and returned it 3 yards to the New Orleans 5.

A Falcons penalty negated an apparent touchdown run by Bijan Robinson before Cousins’ 15-yard touchdown pass to Drake London.

Gonzalez’s 40-yard field goal increased Atlanta’s lead before Shough’s 1-yard scoring run in the second quarter.

The Saints were denied a touchdown on an apparent 1-yard scoring pass from Shough to Kevin Austin Jr. in the third quarter when Austin was called for offensive pass interference. Instead, Charlie Smyth’s 29-yard field goal trimmed Atlanta’s lead to 13-10.

Shough completed 22 of 35 passes for 259 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for a score.

Rookie James Pearce Jr. sacked Shough on back-to-back plays in the third quarter. It gave the Falcons four sacks in the game and a team-record 57 for the season. The Falcons entered the weekend second in the league with 53 after finishing next-to-last with 31 last season.

Pearce finished with 10 1/2 sacks to lead NFL rookies.

Saints: LT Kelvin Banks Jr. (left ankle) was ruled out after he was carted to the locker room in the second quarter. QB/TE Taysom Hill left with a right shoulder injury.

Falcons: CB Cobee Bryant (concussion) was knocked out of the game late in the first quarter. ... DL Brandon Dorlus (hamstring), CB Clark Phillips (triceps, illness) and ILB Ronnie Harrison (illness) were held out. Harrison, Cousins and DL David Onyemata were all added to the injury list on Sunday with illnesses, while CB A.J. Terrell, DL Ruke Orhorhoro and long snapper Liam McCullough were listed as questionable with illnesses.

Saints: New Orleans will look forward to the NFL draft. The Saints entered the week holding the No. 8 overall pick.

Falcons: Atlanta heads into an offseason of possible changes as there has been speculation about the futures of second-year coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. (81) carries between Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford (20) and linebacker Divine Deablo (0) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) passes against the Atlanta Falcons in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. (81) carries against Atlanta Falcons cornerback C.J. Henderson (39) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

New Orleans Saints running back Audric Estime (30) is tripped up by Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford (20) celebrates his interception with linebacker Josh Woods (42) in the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)