Arsenal‘s Premier League title charge suffered a setback as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Bournemouth.
The Gunners controlled the early proceedings in terms of possession, but they failed to have a single shot on goal before Eli Junior Kroupi gave Bournemouth the lead.
Viktor Gyokeres ensured Arsenal were level with 10 minutes left in the first half, converting his penalty after Ryan Christie handled the ball in the box.
But Alex Scott broke Arsenal hearts with just over 15 minutes left to play, opening the door in the title race. The Gunners remain nine points clear at the top of the table, but second-placed Manchester City have two games in hand — as well as the all-important clash between the pair later this month.
How Bournemouth disrupted Arsenal’s title charge
Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets with Bet365
Not signed up to bet365 yet? Here's how to claim one of the best bookmaker welcome offers around...
- Open an account (here's a link)
- Make a qualifying deposit of between £5* and £10*
- Claim the offer to receive three times your deposit in 'Free Bets'.
- To release your 'Free Bets', place qualifying bets to the value of your qualifying deposit and allow those bets to settle.
- Your 'Free Bets' will become available shortly after your qualifying bets have settled
- To use your 'Free Bets', select 'Use bet credits' in the bet slip.
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.
Worrying depth for Arsenal
Mikel Arteta had a tough decision to make with his starting XI. This was a big game in the Premier League title race and a chance for Arsenal to open up a 12-point gap. But they also have the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, in which they hold a slender one-goal lead over Sporting CP.
The Arsenal boss opted to rotate slightly, with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli starting in attack. Then there was the forced decisions, with Noni Madueke continuing at right-wing over the injured Bukayo Saka.
And that right side was a problem. Arsenal missed their first-choice partnership of Saka and Jurrien Timber, with Ben White playing in behind Madueke. Bournemouth’s opener came from that right-hand-side. The ball was played in between White and Madueke, with neither aware of Adrien Truffert’s run into space.
There was a slice of good fortune for Bournemouth as Truffert’s cross was deflected to Kroupi at the back post. But the fact that he even managed to get a cross in reflected very poorly on White and Madueke.
Madueke also struggled at the other end of the pitch. All of Arsenal’s attacking players did. The triple substitution taking Madueke, Martinelli and Havertz off in the 54th minute was not a surprise at all.
Martinelli had a measly eight touches during his 54 minutes on the pietch, completing just three passes. Madueke had 30 touches but only completed nine passes, while Havertz was more involved and the only of the trio to have a shot (two). Only Martinelli managed to create a chance of the trio, with the three men replacing them — Max Dowman, Leandro Trossard and Eberechi Eze — all managing one.
Iraola’s perfect gameplan
Bournemouth’s gameplan was very clear from the opening minute. Off the ball, they looked to stop Arsenal as high up the pitch as they could. David Raya was the main target, albeit not directly.
While a player would sometimes press the Arsenal goalkeeper, Bournemouth mainly focused on cutting out his passing options. Whenever Raya had the ball, every member of Arsenal’s back four was marked by a Bournemouth man. It wasn’t tight marking, to open up space behind, but close enough to cover all options.
It led to Raya holding onto the ball for far too long at times, much to the annoyance of the Arsenal fans. And, eventually, the Spaniard had to resort to going long.
The problem, then, for Arsenal was that they had no presence up the pitch to win the ball. Bournemouth won a lot of the aerial battles in the key areas, with Gyokeres not given much of a chance. And he wasn’t helped by those behind him in the first half.
Even when Raya went short at times, he was taking risks. Twice he almost gave possession away to Bournemouth inside his own box. The first saw a pass rebound off Evanilson and fortunately go out for a goal kick — as Raya tried an outside-of-the-boot pass. The second put Martin Zubimendi under a lot of pressure, with Arsenal just about escaping scot-free.
Raya attempted 22 long passes against Bournemouth, much higher than his average across the season as a whole (15.13 per 90 minutes). He was more involved too, with 60 touches compared to 39.28 per 90 overall this season. And Arsenal don’t want him being that involved. But Bournemouth forced them into it.
Dabble sign-up offer: Bet £10+ & Receive £10 In Free Bets
Not signed up to Dabble yet? Here's how to claim the Bet £10+ & Receive £10 In Free Bets welcome offer:
- Sign up to Dabble through this link
- Register your account with accurate personal details
- Place your first bet of £10 or more
- Receive your £10 in free bets when your qualifying bet has setted
- Use your Free Bet on any eligible sportsbook market within 7 days
#AD 18+ 7-day free bet expiry. Stake not returned. Promotional Terms Apply. GambleAware.org
Bournemouth’s young stars rise to the occasion
But Bournemouth could not have taken this win had their players not turned up on the ball. The Cherries were excellent to a man. When they had possession, they looked composed and in control. There was no pressure, no rushing, and they played like they knew they could dominate this Arsenal side.
Scott shone the brightest. And not just because he scored the winning goal. A quick nod to Kroupi, though, who became the first teenager to score 10+ goals in his debut Premier League season since Robbie Keane in 1999-00.
Scott has finally become a mainstay in the Bournemouth side, almost three years after his move. It wasn’t his fault that it took this long. The 22-year-old has suffered with injuries since his move to Bournemouth, but he looks to have put them firmly behind him. And Bournemouth are thriving as a result.
The midfielder had 64 touches of the ball, the third-most of the Bournemouth side. He completed 40 of his 44 passes, with the best accuracy of any player to have attempted at least 15. Nine of those passes were in the final third, coming from a deeper starting position.
Scott also created one chance, while winning possession eight times. It was a performance for Scott to build on, and the future is bright.