William Saliba’s early red card put Arsenal behind a man and Bournemouth took advantage, ending the Gunners’ unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a 2-0 win at the Vitality Stadium.
[ MORE: JPW’s three things learned at Bournemouth ]
Saliba took down Evanilson and was sent off for denial of a goal scoring opportunity in the 30th minute of the loss, with Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert breaking down the Gunners with two goals in eight second-half minutes.
The loss keeps Arsenal third, above Aston Villa on goal differential and behind Man City by the same consideration. Liverpool remain first with 18 points. City and Liverpool play Sunday games.
[ MORE: Declan Rice, Mikel Arteta on Arsenal’s red cards ]
Bournemouth’s 11 points seat them 10th, above Manchester United on goal differential.
Arsenal’s stunning red card record grows
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners are enduring another season of multiple red cards, now seeing three through eight games. That’s an eye-popping number and the Gunners have only taken two points from those three matches. It’s a head-scratcher, as it’s not like the sending-offs are a pattern of violent conduct or extreme indiscipline, but Arteta could realistically be pointing to a perfect season if his men could’ve avoided these mistakes. Declan Rice’s silly second yellow at Brighton came with the Gunners up 1-0 and led to a 1-1 draw. Arsenal led 2-1 at Man City when Leandro Trossard committed a poor challenge en route to a 2-2 draw. Those six points turned into two for them and, pivotally, one for their title rivals. And now this red card has cost them points against a decent Bournemouth team but one that title fighters are expected to defeat most weeks. Oof.
Bournemouth vs Arsenal player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Bournemouth vs Arsenal player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Bournemouth vs Arsenal player ratings (from fotmob.com)
What’s next?
Bournemouth go to Aston Villa at 10am ET Saturday, while Arsenal have a busier week ahead of them.
The Gunners host Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday, then welcome Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, October 27 for a show-stopping 12:30pm ET kickoff.
How to watch Bournemouth v Arsenal live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 12:30pm ET Saturday (October 19)
Venue: Vitality Stadium
TV Channel: NBC
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com
Bournemouth vs Arsenal final score: 2-0
Ryan Christie 71', Justin Kluivert pen 79'
Bournemouth vs Arsenal live updates! - By Joe Prince-Wright at Vitality Stadium
Cherries penalty! Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal (77th minute)
Evanilson is through on goal on a poor touch by Jakub Kiwior, and he cuts around Raya.
The Spanish keeper gets a piece of both legs and it’s a straight-forward penalty for the Cherries.
Justin Kluivert holds the ball at the spot, and he’s not just guarding it. He’ll take it... and score.
Ryan Christie goal! Bournemouth 1-0 Arsenal (70th minute)
The Cherries win a corner and make it pay off with a slick set play.
A near-post corner was sent to Justin Kluivert, fresh into the game, and the ex-Roma winger swept the ball back to the top of the 18.
That’s where Ryan Christie was waiting to piledrive a shot past Raya.
The 10-men Gunners have about 20 minutes to rescue a point or more.
Arsenal having a real go now
A free kick is whipped in and just misses Havertz and then goes out for a corner. From that corner Rice’s delivery is nodded down but comes to nothing.
Triple sub for the Cherries
Kluivert, Sinisterra and Christie are coming on for Bournemouth. Outarra, Scott and Tavernier are off. Bournemouth are properly going for it with just over 25 minutes to go.
Bournemouth trying to get some momentum again
Arsenal have taken the sting out of the atmosphere here. Bournemouth are trying to get going and playing more direct but Arsenal are managing this situation really well.
Havertz heads a corner over
Declan Rice whips in a corner and Havertz has a free header but puts it well over. It was a tough header. Arsenal taking their time over these set pieces.
Bournemouth should be 1-0 up!
Ouatarra picks out Semenyo at the back post but he leans back and gets his finish all wrong as he puts it over the bar. He can’t believe it. Bournemouth fans would have wanted that ball to fall to Semenyo. Also, Smith is on at half time for Araujo for Bournemouth.
Half time: Bournemouth 0-0 Arsenal
Well, well, well. What a story we have developing down here on the South Coast. The big moment of this first half came as William Saliba was sent off after a VAR review as he denied a clear goalscoring opportunity. It was a long way from goal but under the rules, it was correct. Arsenal up against it and aside from one Mikel Merino effort, Bournemouth have had the better chances. Big 45 minutes coming up. The Arsenal fans are not happy in the away end and feel like they’ve been hard done by, on the red card and on multiple other decisions.
🚨Well, this is very interesting… Arsenal down to 10 after Saliba’s controversial red, and Bournemouth having a real go.
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) October 19, 2024
WATCH live, analysis, reaction & more ➡️ https://t.co/W0EbqjUKKJ
My thoughts on William Saliba’s red card and Bournemouth vs Arsenal so far ⤵️ #AFCB #AFC pic.twitter.com/30HnXwsqlQ
Raya gets down to block Semenyo’s cross and clears
Semenyo is giving Ben White a torrid time and his cross is initially spilled by David Raya and the Arsenal goalkeeper then denies Tavernier.
Semenyo denied by Raya
Bournemouth’s main man beats two players and then smashes a shot on goal which David Raya pushes out for a corner.
Merino so close to giving 10-man Arsenal the lead
Mikel Merino should put Arsenal ahead. A cross drops to him on the edge of the box and he takes a few good touches but drags a low shot just wide. Big chance for the Gunners. Defender Kiwior is on for Sterling, as the winger has been sacrificed.
Big moment as Saliba hauls back Evanilson and after a VAR check he’s sent off!
The ball is overplayed by Trossard back towards Arsenal’s goal and Evanilson, who was clean through on goal, is in but Saliba pulls him back. Referee Rob Jones originally gives a yellow card but VAR tells him to look at the monitor. Ben White wasn’t getting around on the cover and David Raya was running back to his own box. Saliba dismissed for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Arsenal down to 10 men. Bournemouth’s fans are fired up and loving it. Huge challenge for Arsenal now with over 60 minutes to go.
Better from Arsenal
A bit of possession from Arsenal and it ends with Raheem Sterling clipping a cross to the back post which evades everyone. The Gunners are yet to going here but the home fans certainly are. They are well up for this.
Raya gives it away but Semenyo smashes over
Bournemouth’s high-press catches out Arsenal’s goalkeeper Raya. His pass is cut out by Scott and he tees up Semenyo who smashes it way over. Lucky escape for Raya.
Decent start from the hosts
Bournemouth are hanging in there well early on. Arsenal have looked dangerous on the counter with their midfielders looking to play it long early to Sterling and Trossard. Saliba is having to mop up plenty as Bournemouth get Semenyo and Outarra on the ball and they are both cutting inside. Even first 15 minutes.
Hello from the sunny south coast!
The big team news here is that Bukayo Saka is missing for Arsenal. Gabriel Martinelli is on the bench, with Trossard, Havertz and Sterling starting in attack. Mikel Merino starts for Arsenal and it will be intriguing to see how the Spanish midfielder can dictate the tempo of the game.
🚨 Welcome to the Vitality Stadium! It is LOUDDDD here.
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) October 19, 2024
WATCH LIVE + analysis, reaction, videos & more ➡️ https://t.co/W0EbqjUKKJ
My thoughts ahead of Bournemouth v Arsenal ⤵️ #AFCB #AFC #BOUARS pic.twitter.com/2SwWWciPC5
Bournemouth lineup
Arrizabalaga; Araujo, Sensei, Zabarnyi, Kerkez; Cook, Scott; Semenyo, Tavernier, Ouattara; Evanilson
Arsenal lineup
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Partey, Rice, Merino; Sterling, Havertz, Trossard
Bournemouth focus, team news
Tyler Adams is set for a return after suffering a back injury over the summer. The USMNT captain has been back in training with Bournemouth and could feature off the bench as his long injury nightmare is almost over. Aside from that the Cherries are injury free and will go with their very settled lineup as Semenyo, Kluivert and Tavernier are tasked with supporting lone forward Evanilson who is slowly finding his feet in the Premier League.
QUESTIONABLE: Tyler Adams (back)
Arsenal focus, team news
The injury issues remain serious for Arsenal with Odegaard and Keiran Tierney definitely out. There are also doubts over Ben White (who missed the win against Southampton), Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Martinelli, Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey, Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz (who didn’t play for Germany over the international break). All of that means that Arteta will lean heavily on Raya, Gabriel and Saliba to hold things together defensively with Calafiori starting at left back and perhaps White will be fit enough to go against his hometown club at right back. If Havertz and Saka aren’t fit to start, Sterling and Jesus will start. With such a busy schedule coming up in three different competitions over the next month, this Arsenal squad is being stretched to its absolute limit.
OUT: Neto (loan - unable to face parent club), Kieran Tierney (thigh), Martin Odegaard (ankle) | QUESTIONABLE: Ben White (knee), Jurrien Timber (other), Kai Havertz (knee), Bukayo Saka (thigh), Gabriel Martinelli (calf), Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf).
Bournemouth vs Arsenal prediction
This feels like a game where Bournemouth will cause Arsenal problems but the resilience of the Gunners is absolutely astonishing. Expect them to get it done somehow. Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal.
Bournemouth vs Arsenal preview
The Cherries have had an up-and-down start to the season under Andoni Iraola, with their performances deserving of more points. They somehow lost at Leicester before the international break as Bournemouth have dominated plenty of games but haven’t been clinical enough. The trio of Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert and Evanilson are so dangerous and it’s only a matter of time until the goals come.
Arsenal have been ruthless as their squad has been stretched to its limits but had a big week before the international break with home wins in the Champions League against PSG and in the Premier League against Southampton underlining that this squad is now deeper. Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz have stepped up superbly in Martin Odegaard’s absence, while defensively the trio of David Raya, Gabriel and William Saliba have been magnificent. The Gunners sit just one point off the top of the table heading into this weekend and a win at Bournemouth will send them top before City and Liverpool play on Sunday.
