Arsenal fell to a 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, October 19. The result sees the Gunners remain in third place as they succumbed to their first loss of this season.
Coming to the South Coast with a depleted squad due to injuries, Mikel Arteta fielded a weakened lineup as he looked to get a favourable result. However, a red card to star defender William Saliba in the first half of the match meant that Bournemouth had their tails up and Arsenal had their backs against the wall.
Despite not scoring in the first half, the Cherries set the foundation for what was to come as they pushed Arsenal ont he back foot. The Gunners, on the other hand, tried desperately to push out of their own half and test Kepa Arrizabalaga in the hosts’ goal, but to no avail.
The teams were tied 0-0 at the interval after an exciting first period.
Bournemouth seemed to want to grab the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half as manager Andoni Iraola made one change. Club captain Adam Smith replaced Julian Araujo as the Cherries gained confidence with every good move they made. Shortly after, Iraola made the game-changing substituion, bringing Justin Kulivert into the game.
The Dutchman made an instant impact on the game, assisting a goal from Ryan Christie just minutes after coming on. Shortly after, he was on target for Bournemouth as he converted a penalty conceded by David Raya after a clumsy foul. Arsenal had no answer to conceding two late goals and succumved to their first defeat of this season.
On that note, let’s take a look at the Gunners’ player ratings.
Arsenal Player Ratings
David Raya – 6/10
He made two saves but also conceded a late penalty that put the seal on defeat for Arsenal.
Ben White – 6/10
White had a subpar game and also got booked, but failed to make much of an impact in the game.
William Saliba – 5.5/10
Saliba received his first-ever senior red card in the first half and put Arsenal under pressure after he pulled Evanilson down fron that.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 7/10
Gabriel won his only duel, making five clearances and two blocks.
Riccardo Calafiori – 7.5/10
Despite ending the game on a poor note, Calafiori looked sharp throughout the game. He won six duels, making six clearances, three tackles and one blokced shot.
Thomas Partey – 6.5/10
Partey put in a subpar performance in the middle of the park for the Gunners.
Declan Rice – 7.5/10
Rice passed the ball with 87% accuracy, including two key passes and three crosses. He also completed all three dribble attempts and won nine of 10 duels.
Mikel Merino – 7/10
Merino started this contest and played one key pass. He also won seven duels.
Raheem Sterling – 6.5/10
Sterling started the game well but was sacrificed to bring on a defender after Saliba’s red.
Kai Havertz – 6.5/10
Havertz started the game but failed to make an impact on the proceedings as he barely got any time on the ball.
Leandro Trossard – 5.5/10
Trossard played the back-pass that caused the incident for Bournemouth’s first goal which Arsenal could do nothing to stop.
Substitutes
Jakub Kiwior – 6.5/10
Kiwior put in a decent performance after coming on the second half but was subbed off later on to bring on an attacker.
Gabriel Martinelli – 5.5/10
Martinelli’s woeful run in front of goal continued as he missed one huge chance to score when the teams were still deadlocked at 0-0.
Ethan Nwaneri – 7/10
Nwaneri came on late in the contest and immediately changed the dynamic of the play by both teams. He played like a breath of fresh air but could not help Arsenal unlock Bournemouth defensive structure.
Gabriel Jesus – N/A
He came on with very little time to spare on the clock and left without making much of an impact.
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