Arsenal suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday as they fell 2-0 to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
The Gunners had control of the game until the 30th minute, when Leandro Trossard‘s careless pass left William Saliba in trouble before earning red for a foul that VAR deemed to have denied Evanilson a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Some positive moments of goalkeeping by David Raya ensured Arsenal held Bournemouth scoreless by the break.
Antoine Semenyo was one of Bournemouth’s brightest as the Cherries began to create chances, though he should have done better moments after the restart with an effort at the backpost that was struck off target.
Arsenal could have taken the lead with their best chance of the match when Mikel Merino intercepted Kepa Arrizabalaga‘s pass before picking out substitute Gabriel Martinelli, only for him to strike the ball straight at the goalkeeper. That miss proved to be costly as they went behind two minutes later, with Ryan Christie finishing off a well-taken Bournemouth corner.
An under-hit pass by Jakub Kiwior led to Raya giving away a penalty for the home side to double the lead through Justin Kluivert, and the Gunners looked resigned to defeat with Mikel Merino being withdrawn.
Positives
Merino enjoyed a bright performance despite the result, and he looks to be a strong fit for Arsenal’s system. Declan Rice was also a standout in midfield with his defensive work.
Negatives
The absences of Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka were noticeable in an Arsenal attack that didn’t create many moments of promise. An upcoming suspension for William Saliba means he misses the next Premier League match against Liverpool.
Manager rating (1-10; 10 = best)
Mikel Arteta, 6 — There was little Arteta could do after individual errors were punished, but he could have seen his side go 1-0 up on another day if substitute Gabriel Martinelli converted his chance.
Player ratings
GK David Raya, 5 — Raya looked uncertain when claiming crosses and he also played a misplaced ball straight to Alex Scott in the first half. While he made some saves to keep the game at 0-0, an overall inconsistent evening was compounded when he gave away a penalty.
DF Gabriel Magalhães, 6 — Gabriel cleared the danger on a number of occasions and registered a couple of blocks. Not as effective as usual from attacking set-pieces.
DF William Saliba, 4 — Saliba looked in control before he was sent off following a VAR review after he pulled down Evanilson to deny a goal-scoring opportunity. There was some distance to go, which could see the France international regret not using his pace rather than fouling.
DF Riccardo Calafiori, 6 — Left Antoine Semenyo at the backpost moments into the second half, but was let off by a poor finish by the Bournemouth forward. His efforts helped create some half-chances at times when driving with the ball into midfield.
DF Ben White, 5 — Beaten too easily at times and picked up a booking for timewasting with the score at 0-0.
MF Mikel Merino, 7 — The Spain international was composed in possession, particularly in advanced areas, and he enjoyed some positive link-up play with Raheem Sterling before he was taken off after the red card. Took up intelligent positions to cut off passing lanes in the middle of the pitch, and created Arsenal’s best chance when playing in Gabriel Martinelli following a well-timed interception on Kepa Arrizabalaga’s pass.
MF Declan Rice, 7 — Rice provided a strong anchor when Arsenal were looking to defend with 10 men, where he regularly anticipated play to clear the danger. Worked hard to make up for the numbers advantage, and tried to progress the ball into advanced areas.
MF Thomas Partey, 6 — Progressed the ball impressively through the lines from defensive midfield, and also chose the right moments to drop into centre-back to create a back-three. Little he could do about either of the goals.
FW Kai Havertz, 6 — Havertz worked hard and tried to make things happen with minimal service, with positive runs directly at the defence that led to some half-chances.
FW Leandro Trossard, 5 — Trossard’s poor pass to Saliba led to the red card that made the game much more difficult for the Gunners. Ineffective overall, and replaced by Gabriel Martinelli in the 64th minute.
FW Raheem Sterling, 5 — Stayed wide to stretch the pitch and had one moment during which he tried to cut inside and beat his marker, but didn’t have enough opportunities to make an impact on the game. Replaced for tactical reasons after Saliba’s red card.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)
Jakub Kiwior (Sterling, 37″), 4 — A match to forget for Kiwior, who struggled early on with the pace of Semenyo, and after he under-hit his pass to Raya before Bournemouth’s penalty, he was taken back off the pitch by Arteta. He was not the solution Arteta had hoped for.
Gabriel Martinelli (Trossard, 64″), 5 — It didn’t take long for Martinelli to get involved with Arsenal’s best chance of the game five minutes after coming in, but he should have done better with the finish that was straight at Arrizabalaga.
Gabriel Jesus (Kiwior, 81″), N/R — Positive in possession and tried to make something happen by going alone with a dribbling run through the Bournemouth defence before he was eased off the ball.
Ethan Nwaneri (Merino, 81″) N/R — Introduced for Merino but Arsenal couldn’t garner any control of the game to begin a late comeback.