In a Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth triumphed over Arsenal with a 2-0 victory, spoiling their opportunity to ascend to the league’s pinnacle. The dilemma started for Arsenal following William Saliba’s expulsion in the first half for bringing down Bournemouth’s striker, Evanilson. This marked the third occasion in the ongoing season where the Gunners ended the match with just 10 players.
Bournemouth witnessed an opportunity to deliver Arsenal’s initial defeat this term and seized it effectively. With only 20 minutes left on the clock, Bournemouth took the upper hand. Their advantage came from Ryan Christie’s exceptional score, a substitute who smashed an unstoppable shot into the net as Arsenal seemed to have weathered the worst of Bournemouth’s onslaught.
In the pursuit of equalising the score, Arsenal found themselves stretched thin, leaving openings that Evanilson capitalised on to double the lead. Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Raya mistimed his tackle, bringing down the forward and earning Bournemouth a penalty. It was up to Justin Kluivert to ensure victory from the penalty spot, which he did effortlessly.
In the match’s initial stages, the Gunners’ creative endeavours were stifled due to Bournemouth’s disciplined pressing strategy. The closest glimpse of a goal came from a misguided pass by Raya, providing Antoine Semenyo with an opportunity, albeit one that got missed.
The game saw a pivotal shift with Saliba’s send-off in the 30-minute mark. Despite Evanilson having to cover half the pitch to reach the goal after receiving a long ball, he was successful in getting past Saliba who then brought him down. Even though Ben White was on the pitch, his position at the right-back spot made covering the stretch impossible. Saliba’s offence, initially deemed a yellow card offence by referee Robert Jones was changed to a red card after a pitchside review.
This season, Arsenal was reduced to 10 against Brighton and Manchester City, each time adopting a defensive approach to safeguard the result. However, had Mikel Merino not skimmed the post following Marcos Senesi’s under par defensive header, they might have push against the odds and taken the lead. For additional defense, Arteta decided to bring Jakub Kiwior on for Raheem Sterling, causing Bournemouth to tactically restrict Arsenal’s movement.
Raya gave Bournemouth an opportunity when he misjudged Semenyo’s low cross, but promptly offset this mistake by denying a goal by Marcus Tavernier. Semenyo squandered a prime chance to exploit Bournemouth’s ascendency at the onset of the second half, after being chosen by Milos Kerkez, he egregiously sent the ball flying over the far post.
Arteta demonstrated his confidence in his team when he enlisted Gabriel Martinelli to boost their offence – a move that could have paid off if Kepa Arrizabalaga hadn’t executed a brilliant save with his feet, after initially conceding the ball with an offhand pass. This moment was a highlight for Arsenal, who had dominated since the red card, but the momentum was soon overturned by Christie’s in-flight rocket shot from a corner which cruised past a stationary Raya, aided by a Kluivert’s swift decoy tricking the defence.
Arsenal’s fate was later sealed. Kiwior carelessly permitted Evanilson to cut in over his shoulder, Raya responded quickly by rushing out, but in his hasty attempt to correct this error, he collided with the striker. From the penalty spot, Kluivert successfully deceived the goalkeeper to clinch a 2-0 lead.