Mikel Arteta hailed his players for not hiding as he cited the change in atmosphere when Arsenal scored their opening goal as a crucial moment.
The Gunners underlined their champion qualities with a massive comeback win over Bournemouth, who had led 2-0 at the Emirates on the hour mark. It threatened to burst the title race wide open before Reiss Nelson scored their winner seven minutes into stoppage time.
Thomas Partey got Arsenal's first after 62 minutes, which set them on their way to a famous victory. Bournemouth faced an onslaught from the home side, who piled on the pressure as Ben White levelled. The Emirates crowd has got behind the team like never before and Arteta praised their impact as well as the attitude of his players.
He said: "I think the team - and individuals - showed a willingness to win and determined, but also initiative. When the game gets ugly, there is a moment where you can lose momentum. You can start to hide - the players didn't do that. They wanted the game, they wanted the ball, they took risks until we broke them down."
The Spaniard also added: "Probably everyone is overwhelmed, it was madness from the first second. We defended so poorly, then you have to climb a mountain. We tried in every way but didn't score and then we find ourselves 2-0 down. After it is don't lose the shape, don't lose the discipline, just try to do all the simple things right to score the first goal.
"We did that and showed a lot of maturity and resilience. Once we've done that, the atmosphere of the place changed the energy. Then it was, 'okay let's go', for the second and then we score that so it is throw the toys out and go for it. The subs made a huge impact today - and incredible day at the end."
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Arsenal had seen their closest challengers, Manchester City, beat Newcastle in the early kick-off, which cut the gap at the top to two points. The Gunners looked like they were going to drop points midway through the contest but their late show means the gap is back to five points.
Nelson's winner sent the Emirates crazy with players and staff flooding the pitch amid wild celebrations. The winger was introduced as a second-half substitute and a late change of heart helped him hammer home the winner.
“It dropped onto my right,” he admitted. “I wanted to hit it with my laces on my right but I saw the defender coming out, so I decided to shift it onto my left and then just had to hit through it, aim for the top bins - something like that! I’m just happy it went in - I’m delighted with it."
