Arsenal missed the chance to go top of the league after suffering their first defeat and third red card of the season, losing 2-0 to Bournemouth on Saturday. Second-half goals from Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert secured the win for the hosts.
Mikel Arteta made three changes to the team that beat Southampton before the international break, bringing in Ben White, Mikel Merino, and Leandro Trossard. Bukayo Saka was absent from the squad due to a hamstring issue sustained on England duty, while Gabriel Martinelli was fit enough for the bench despite a calf concern.
The game began cagily, with Bournemouth having the first chance after 16 minutes when Alex Scott intercepted a poor pass from David Raya and set up Antoine Semenyo, who missed from 20 yards out.
The match took a turn for the worse for Arsenal when William Saliba was sent off for a last-man foul on Evanilson, who was played through on goal by a Trossard back pass. Initially shown a yellow card by referee Rob Jones, the decision was upgraded to red after a VAR review, marking Arsenal’s third red card of the season. Saliba will miss the next match against Liverpool.
Despite being a man down, Arsenal had a chance to take the lead when Raheem Sterling set up Merino, whose shot was deflected wide by Milos Kerkez. Bournemouth came close twice before half-time, with Semenyo testing Raya and Marcus Tavernier forcing another save after Raya spilled a cross.
Sterling was substituted for Jakub Kiwior as Arteta adjusted his tactics before the break.
Bournemouth should have taken the lead when Dango Ouattara found Semenyo unmarked at the back post, but the forward missed from close range. Arsenal’s defense remained resolute, and Martinelli replaced Trossard after 65 minutes, almost scoring immediately after a poor pass from Kepa. However, Martinelli’s effort was saved by the Spanish goalkeeper.
Just moments after Martinelli’s miss, Bournemouth scored through Ryan Christie, who curled a shot into the top corner from a short corner routine involving Justin Kluivert. Things worsened for Arsenal when Kiwior’s back pass allowed Evanilson to break through on goal, leading to a foul by Raya and a penalty. Kluivert converted the spot-kick to make it 2-0.
Arteta introduced Ethan Nwaneri and Gabriel Jesus with ten minutes remaining, but it was too late to make an impact, and Bournemouth comfortably defended their lead.
It was a disappointing day for Arsenal, missing the creativity and finishing of key players, and once again playing with ten men. With a busy schedule ahead, both domestically and in Europe, they will need to bounce back quickly from their first away defeat of 2024.
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