The first half of the 2015/16 Premier League season is in the books and Arsenal lead on goal difference. Newcastle, Sunderland and Aston Villa occupy the bottom three spots.

Arsenal will be head into 2016 as the Premier League leaders, and bookmakers favourites, after ending Bournemouth’s run of six matches without defeat at The Emirates.

Mesut Ozil was once again the star of the show as the Gunners continue to inspire hope that they can win their first title in over a decade. The classy German putting in the cross that saw Gabriel score his first goal in European football, before finishing off a brilliant Arsenal move in the 69th minute to leave Bournemouth dead and buried. Ozil has now scored or assisted in 16 goals in Arsenal’s past 12 games. Arsenal’s 2-0 victory also created a little history for Petr Cech, who broke David James’ Premier League clean sheets record, preventing strikers from getting their fill in 170 games.

Arsenal were able to replace Leicester at the top of the table, on goal difference, after the Foxes played out a goalless draw at home to Man City. Leicester failed to score for the second successive game, but when the opposition is Man City, and you are coming off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, this has to go down as an excellent result. I keep waiting for Claudio Ranieri’s men to start slipping down the table. I don’t think it’s going to happen.