Arsenal could suffer a crushing defeat against Bournemouth (Image: Getty)
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal suffered a potentially devastating defeat at home to Bournemouth, dealing a huge blow to the side’s bid to win their first Premier League title since 2004. Although the title remains in their hands, the result will no doubt be nerve-wracking for the North Londoners ahead of a season-defining week.
Arsenal’s sleepy form continued early in the first half, with Bournemouth surprising the Emirates Stadium by taking the lead after just 17 minutes. The deflected cross found Eli Junior Crupi at the back post, who made no mistake with a powerful finish. The hosts continued to look shaky and were awarded a penalty after Ryan Christie was adjudged to have stopped Gabriel’s close-range shot with his hand. Victor Goqueres converted from 12 yards to restore parity, but it was a far from perfect first half.
The tension carried over into the second half, with the Emirates crowd becoming increasingly nervous as the match progressed. It was no surprise that the third goal of the game came late in Arsenal’s defense, with Evanison slotting past Alex Scott and the playmaker dutifully finishing. From then on, the Cherries were not under much pressure and saw Bournemouth through to pick up the valuable three points. Express Sport have released their player ratings for Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Bournemouth.
He returned to the starting lineup in midweek and deservedly won the man of the match award against Sporting. But Kepa felt like he was back between the sticks. His distribution was poor and he repeatedly put the hosts in danger of scoring goals. Let me tell you, he could do very little in terms of goals for Bournemouth.
He lacks the dynamism to make any impact on the right side. Arsenal have gotten this far because of their defensive stability, but in a game like this in the build-up, more was needed from an attacking point of view.
He almost scored a stunning goal with just a few minutes left in the game, but Bournemouth were forced to concede a second goal.
Although he started well, he was misled by the fluidity of Bournemouth’s attack and, like his centre-back partner, fell short of the eventual winner.
His afternoon was summed up when he was flagged for offside in stoppage time. One of several players who weren’t good enough at Arsenal.
He spent most of the game looking lost in the middle of the park. Chasing shadows in the middle of the park, possession is too slow. Didn’t know how to up the ante when needed and wouldn’t have looked out of place at a walking football game.
The only Arsenal player who knew anything about Arsenal in most of the games. He is by far the only person trying to make something happen.
Martin Zvimendi struggled in Arsenal’s midfield (Image: Getty)
He was used as a creative jewel in Arsenal’s midfield, but was unable to make an impact on the game. In fact, it’s much better suited to take the lead. He was one of three players substituted early in the second half.
Most of the time was spent lying down. Ironically, the winger played better when he was second fiddle to Bukayo Saka. In the absence of his compatriots he was not impressed.
The penalty was exquisite. Really. Everything else was a disgrace. With Arsenal chasing, they attempted to miss three great opportunities. No wonder he covered his face to celebrate, but I’m not sure anyone would want to be associated with that performance…
The first time I realized he was on the pitch was when his number went up 10 minutes into the second half. He recorded eight touches, only one of which was inside the opponent’s penalty area. No wonder the Gunners are said to be considering alternative options on the left wing.
The teenager is currently Arsenal’s most threatening attacker. Arteta has a decision to make because if he chooses his team based on form, the 16-year-old needs to be involved.
He probably wasn’t good enough to be a starter, but when he was introduced he made an impact. His fitness could be crucial in the coming weeks.
I run a lot, but that’s it. He had nothing to offer from the bench.
Why Arteta waited until the 76th minute of a game he needed to win in the title race to introduce one of his only allowed attacking substitutes is anyone’s guess. Perhaps you were too busy looking at TikTok edits instead.
I don’t know why Arteta thought it was necessary to use him.
