Bournemouth 2 Arsenal 0: Ten-man Gunners STUNNED as they drop points in title race after defeat to brilliant Cherries
IF Arsenal continue to shoot themselves in the foot, they will not have a leg to stand on in this Premier League title race.
And the question now stands: do they have the discipline to topple Manchester City?
For the third time in eight Prem games this season, the Gunners were forced to play the majority of a 90-minute match down to 10 men after a needless red card.
It is also the second time this has happened inside a first half. Talk about making things unnecessarily hard for yourselves.
On the previous two occasions, Mikel Arteta’s men have salvaged a point – and probably should have earned more – after controversial dismissals for delaying the restart against Brighton and Man City.
But this could not be said on the south coast against Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth.
William Saliba’s 30th minute sending off – confirmed by VAR after ref Robert Jones was asked to view the monitor having originally given a yellow – was fair, and also comical, as he boldly and foolishly dragged down Evanilson just inside his own half as the last man.
Often so good on the road – unbeaten in their previous 12 in 2024 – the visitors were unable to muster a response as they huffed and puffed to a deserved first defeat of the term.
Ryan Christie finally broke the deadlock in the 70th minute, and nine minutes later another uncharacteristic mistake – this time from David Raya – gave Justin Kluivert a 12-yarder to end the contest.
Arteta’s boys are City’s biggest threat to a fifth title on the spin, yet right now seem more intent on throwing it away than ending that run with a first Prem trophy for 20 years.
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
The big blow before kick-off was Bukayo Saka’s absence – clearly still not over a slight hamstring strain picked up for England on international duty last week.
It was just the fourth time the Three Lions star had missed a Prem game since the start of the 2021/22 campaign – and only the third game in all comps since December 17.
But there was good news elsewhere. Doubts over Gabriel Martinelli, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Thomas Partey and Ben White were put to one side with their inclusions in the squad.
For Arteta, this was a return to a stadium where he took charge of his first game for the club back on Boxing Day 2019 – an ugly 1-1 draw to kick off his tenure in uninspiring style?
Five years on, and a bit of déjà vu? Arteta would have hoped that days like this were behind him and his squad, one consistently now challenging for major honours.
But when you always have an early red card in you, these sorts of miserable contests are always around the corner.
Arteta unleashed a team that boasted nine of the 11 standing six feet tall and over, including a gigantic midfield of Partey, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino on his first Prem start.
On paper, that trio should steamroller the opposition, but this never materialised in the opening 20 minutes. Arsenal were clunky, loose in possession and lacking an attacking intent to unlock a well-coached Iraola outfit.
Sloppiness was creeping in. Raya’s pass out was short and Alex Scott teed up Antoine Semenyo to blaze into the stands.
Speaking of sloppy, Leandro Trossard’s 27th minute shanked, deflected back pass had Saliba scrambling and Evanilson pounced, only to have his arm dragged and twisted before hitting the deck.
The French defender, the smoothest of players, had a rare brain-dead moment, with the guilt instantly written all over his face.
And even when Jones issued a yellow, that look of a naughty schoolboy remained, surely knowing that VAR would step in to turn his nightmare into an early shower.
Yes, it was a foul around 45 yards from goal, but a clear denial of a goal scoring opportunity nonetheless, one that would never have been recovered by Saliba’s fellow defenders.
The image of PGMOL chief Howard Webb sat on his phone in the stands, listening in on the Stockley Park dialogue, did little to appease the away end.
Instead, they chanted: “F**k Howard Webb” before serenading Saliba with their chant to the tune of Latin pop hit ‘Tequila’.
Arteta would not have been blamed had he decided to down a bottle of the stuff there and then in the dug-out. Instead, sensibly, he hauled off Raheem Sterling for Jakub Kiwior.
Unlike the opening stages of the first half, chances cropped up before the break.
Semenyo and Marcus Tavernier wasted good openings after Raya’s fumble, while Merino dragged an effort wide from 10 yards out.
Arsenal were unchanged at the break, their away form giving them a belief they could see this one out.
That confidence drained away almost instantly as Semenyo missed a sitter from six yards from a teasing Dango Ouattara delivery.
These title races are often defined by moments.
Saliba’s red card will likely be one, as will Gabriel Martinelli fluffing his lines with a one-on-one, failing to convert the gift provided by Kepa’s misplaced pass.
Two minutes later, Bournemouth punished them – Christie smashing in from range from a clever short corner routine, really rubbing it in to their set-piece loving opponents.
By the time Raya clobbered Evanilson in the box from a shocking Kiwior back pass, no one was surprised. Arsenal’s heads were gone, and their unbeaten start shattered.
–