Arsenal committee of Odegaard, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Sterling and Nwaneri discuss their options. And then …Bournemouth are six additional minutes away from completing their first-ever league double over Arsenal.Bournemouth make a change of their own, replacing the potential match-winner Evanilson with Jebbison.Arsenal make a triple change, replacing Saka, Martinelli and White with Nwaneri, Sterling and Zinchenko.Bournemouth push them slowly back up the field. The home fans groan. Their team on the verge of dropping more points from a winning position. Second place not locked down yet. Far from it.Bournemouth who look the more likely right now. Brooks strips the ball off Merino, 30 yards out, but can’t find the killer pass to release Evanilson. Arsenal breathe again.Bournemouth knock the ball around the back to a chorus of olés from the away end. Hey, we’ve got two Spanish managers here, why not.
Bournemouth fans, to be fair. Meanwhile Kachilapo Mulongoti would like to make a persuasive defence of Mikel Arteta and his touchline antics: “I’m writing regarding the amount of emotional energy Arteta and other coaches use up on complaining about every incident. I think they view it as necessary for success, Arteta and other coaches like him feel that the best version of themselves is essentially a 12th player on the pitch. They have to be completely engaged with what is happening on the pitch because it maximizes their chances of success. Believe them when they say every detail matters, they truly believe it does.”Arsenal striker Alan Smith gives his verdict: “Do you know what, I think that’s fair enough, there’s no conclusive evidence.”Arsenal are off the hook.Bournemouth are suddenly first to everything. Kerkez crosses from the left but Saliba eyebrows clear just in time.Bournemouth make a double change, replacing Kluivert and Araujo with Semenyo and Scott. That will see Cook moving to right back.Arsenal are pushed back, but let off when Kluivert flays a wild shot over the bar from distance.Bournemouth D, but decides against it and eventually gets stripped of possession. A few groans from the home faithful.Arsenal are beginning to look a bit skittish. Saliba takes a poor touch that nearly allows Evanilson to race off down the left with the ball. The defender recovers just in time.Bournemouth box. Kepa eventually claims another weak Saka effort.Arsenal box. Trossard appears to drag him down, but the referee waves play on. Tavernier beyond livid.Bournemouth are unable to take advantage.Arsenal should be awarded a garden-variety free kick in midfield. He’s right on the touchline, having his say, fully animated. You have to wonder about the amount of emotional energy he uses up on inconsequential stuff like this. It must be tiring.Bournemouth should have been at least a couple of goals up at the end of the first half,” suggests Gunners supporter Charles Antaki. “But they’re not. Arsenal are living a few millimetres away from a world of counterfactuals.”Bournemouth have responded well to falling behind.Bournemouth come back at Arsenal, Kluivert zipping down the left before sashaying infield. He aims a curler towards the top right that’s deflected wide by Saliba. Corner coming in from the right.Bournemouth to line up on the edge of the Arsenal box.Premier League.Arsenal, so what a way to celebrate the landmark! He takes a theatrical bow as the home fans record the scoreline via the medium of the Village People.
Arsenal go up the other end and take the lead! Odegaard glides in from the right before rolling a pass down the channel for Rice, who rounds Kepa to the right before looping a shot into the net. Zabarnyi can’t block on the line.
33 min: Tavernier slides a pass down the inside-right channel for Ouattara, who for a second looks like getting clear in the box. But just as the attacker prepares to shoot, Saliba comes sliding in to take the ball off his toe. That was timed to perfection. Had it not been, it’d have been a nailed-on penalty. But what a tackle!
31 min: Martinelli twists his way past Araujo down the left, reaches the byline, and clips back for Trossard, who aims a header towards the bottom right. Kepa gets down and stops on his line. A goalkeeper put to work at last!
Source: theguardian.com
