Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth
by Layth Yousif

ANDONI IRAOLA’S effervescent Bournemouth deservedly beat a stodgy Arsenal team, badly preoccupied by their Champions League semi-final second leg next week in France.

The impressive Cherries, captained by England hopeful Lewis Cook staged a comeback against a desperately underwhelming Gunners side, after falling behind to a first half goal by Declan Rice.

Two strikes after the interval from Dean Huijsen and Evanilson secured a fully merited victory for the south coast side.

Despite the season-defining fixture in the French capital next week, Mikel Arteta picked a strong side to face the Cherries, with seasoned observers expecting at least nine of Saturday’s 11 starters set to face billionaire moneybags Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), when making only two changes from the side that lost to them midweek. Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino givie way for Ben White and Thomas Partey, with Timber not included in the matchday squad.

Iraola’s Bournemouth made surprise changes, with Antoine Semenyo on the bench, while Marcus Tavernier was drafted into the starting XI.

Julian Araujo also started in place of Adam Smith, while Alex Scott dropped to the bench as Cook started.

With Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel in the stands to run the rule over Arsenal’s raft of young English talent, it was perhaps prescient that the Cherries’ highly-rated Cook made such an impact, as the south coast side attempted to keep up hopes of a European spot.

As the heatwave turned to a cloudy, chilly evening in north London, Gunners captain Martin Odegaard fired narrowly wide on 15 minutes, after good work from Gabriel Martinelli, who started in lively fashion. The 23-year-old Brazil star then set up Rice, after beating Cherries number 22 Araujo, but the England midfielder failed to trouble Bournemouth keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The Gunners dominance could not be withstood for too much longer, with Rice rounding an onrushing Kepa, to cooly slot home from an acute angle with aplomb to put Arsenal 1-0 up at 34 minutes, following Odegaard’s neat ball that dissected the Cherries hitherto obdurate backline.

Stung, Iraola’s side swept forward, nearly equalising through Justin Kluivert three minutes before the interval, but the talented Dutch attackers’ effort was deflected wide by an alert William Saliba who marshalled well the Cherries number 19, with the resultant corner coming to nothing.

A sloppy pass from David Raya nearly led to a leveller, when the ball was played to Evanilson, the destroyer of the Gunners during their 2-0 victory back in October, but the Brazil striker’s effort flew narrowly over the bar, much to Raya’s relief.

Bukayo Saka went close after the break, as the home side hunted for a second to kill off the game, as the fit-again England star drilled a shot across the face of Kepa’s goal and just past the far post shortly afterwards.

However, it was Bournemouth who scored, when substitute Antoine Semenyo made an immediate impact, with the Cherries number 24’s long throw being headed by Huijsen, past Raya in a crowded box and into the net to make it 1-1 on 67 minutes, much to the delight of the travelling fans making all the noise.

Buoyed by the goal, the south coast side pushed for a winner, with Marcus Tavernier’s shot being deflected wide shortly afterwards.

With 15 minutes remaining, the visitors deservedly went 2-1 ahead, with Evanilson squeezing the ball past Raya and into the net to put the Cherries into dreamland, following a lengthy VAR check for offside and then handball. Bournemouth fans sang plaintively: “It’s not football anymore” before the goal was eventually given, as the Gunners fell to defeat amid grumblings.

If Arteta’s side go down as meekly against PSG next week, the grumblings will surely intensify.

Yet with a win in Paris, this Arsenal team would be a mere 90 minutes from eternal glory. Such are the vagaries of football.