Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Bournemouth in a crucial clash that has blown the title race open as Mikel Arteta’s men suffered poor performances from several key players
Arsenal suffered a major defeat against Bournemouth
Arsenal’s title hopes suffered a major setback in their biggest match of the season so far. Mikel Arteta will be left pondering the next steps after this colossal disappointment.
With tension palpable in the stadium, it was only exacerbated by Bournemouth’s opening goal, with Kroupi Jr tapping into an open net following a deflection at the back post. Viktor Gyokeres equalised from the penalty spot.
However, the second half was a dismal display from the Gunners, with Alex Scott capitalising on the shaky defence to fire past David Raya. Despite a late surge, the match was lost, and now the question is whether Arsenal’s title hopes are too? Here’s how the Daily Star Sport rated the performances of the Arsenal players involved.
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David Raya – Had some truly perplexing moments, including a pass that should have resulted in a Bournemouth goal. Infuriated all the Arsenal fans in the stadium. 4
Ben White – Was caught out by a ball over the top, leading to Bournemouth’s opening goal. Substituted after several errors. 4
William Saliba – Deflected the cross that allowed Kroupi to score at the back post. Another who struggled to find accurate passes from the back line. 5
Gabriel Magalhaes – Made some crucial early blocks and interceptions as his team grappled with nerves. Won the penalty after his attempt to kick the ball into the box struck Christie’s raised arm. Then gave away possession in his own half with a long ball, leading to Bournemouth’s second goal. 5
Myles Lewis-Skelly – Showed some promising moments during the opening period, spinning away from his marker and picking out colleagues. Faded after the break and struggled to get on the ball . 5
Martin Zubimendi – Was creating some anxiety amongst supporters as numerous passes went wayward, and even sparked Gyokeres’ irritation when he failed to release the ball to him when the chance presented itself. His poorest performance in an Arsenal shirt. 4
Declan Rice – Posed a danger from distance, with some deflected attempts earning the hosts corner kicks. There was an instance in the second period where he had something of a ‘sod it’ moment, bursting through the middle and shooting but his efforts amounted to very little as well. 6
You Maduek – Provided precious little in the opening half, unable to get past his opponent. 4
Kai Havertz – Enjoyed an excellent chance to draw level, nodding a corner delivery narrowly over the crossbar. But apart from that also found it difficult to influence proceedings and gave the ball away on several occasions. 4
Viktor Gyokeres – Hammered home the spot-kick to notch his 18th strike of the campaign. He was arguably their best performer but missed two crucial late chances. 6
Gabriel Martinelli – Another wide player who couldn’t get the better of his marker on the left flank and was substituted without much protest. 4
Substitutes:
Max Dowman – Arsenal struggled to locate the winger frequently enough and he appeared lively but having to resort to such a youthful player highlighted Arsenal’s predicament. 6
God bless you – Entered the fray and regrettably couldn’t enhance matters much beyond what Havertz had offered. 4 Leandro Trossard – A superb, potentially goal-preventing block with his own desperate tackle. But going forward couldn’t make the breakthrough. 5
Leandro Trossard – An excellent, potentially goal-stopping block in his own last-ditch challenge. But offensively couldn’t find the difference. 5
