Few would have predicted before Arsenal’s clash at home with relegation threatened AFC Bournemouth at 3pm on Saturday 4th March that the contest would be one of the 2022/23 premier league games of the season, but it certainly turned out that way. Many predicted a comfortable win for Mikel Arteta’s men, however that was not the case. Arsenal retained their position as top of the league by five points by getting the three points they needed, but they had to come from 0-2 down to get them and in dramatic fashion.
The game could not have possibly started any worse for Arsenal, as straight from the kick-off at the start of the first half Bournemouth attacked the Arsenal backline, and a cross found its way past Gabriel and Philip Billing caught William Saliba asleep to smash his side in the lead within nine seconds, the goal being the second fastest in the history of the Premier League since its formation in 1992 and Emirates Stadium was left stunned. Arsenal attemped to find themselves a rapid response and came close when a double save from Neto denied first Martin Odegaard’s strike from range and then Bukayo Saka’s follow up effort. The home side continued to push but could not find a way past the determined Bournemouth backline and the half-time whistle went with Arsenal having it all to do. If things weren’t already bad enough, Leandro Trossard was forced of with a suspected groin injury midway through the first half, although the return of Emile Smith Rowe represents a boost for Mikel Arteta.
Arteta knew he had to change something and change something he did. The Arsenal manager had made three changes to his starting XI with Fabio Vieira, Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu replacing Granit Xhaka, Jorginho and Ben White. However, Tomiyasu had struggled in the first half and Areta decided to replace the Japanese international with White at the start of the second half. But things only got worse for Arsenal on the hour mark as Sensei headed in from Bournemouth’s first corner of the match to give his side a two goal cushion against all the odds.
Many could have been forgiven for believing that it just was not going to be Arsenal’s day, however they got a desperately important goal five minutes later as Thomas Partey was at the back post to turn home Smith Rowe’s header which went back across the Bournemouth penalty area. The goal gave Arsenal the momentum they needed and a last throw of the dice from Arteta occurred when Smith Rowe was brought off for Reiss Nelson, and the Hale End graduate had an instant impact as seconds later he crossed the ball for Ben White whose shot just crossed the line despite the efforts of Neto. The Englishman’s first goal for the club coming in an incredibly important moment as the scores were levelled. With the momentum with them, Arsenal continued to push for the winner but were denied two penalty shouts from referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR, despite calls from Arteta for a minimum of seven minutes to be added, six minutes were added on but it looked like time was out and it was going to be two points dropped. However, Bournemouth’s constant time wasting allowed for one last corner to be taken in the seventh minute of stoppage time. A headed clearance found Nelson on the edge of the box and after some brilliant control he found enough space to get a shot away with his left foot, a shot which found the far corner of the net sparking utter bedlam from everyone connected with Arsenal. Coaches and substitutes alike poured onto the pitch and the scenes were something rather special as seconds after the restart the win was confirmed sparking more wild celebrations in the stands and on the pitch.
The win makes it four in a row as Arsenal prepare for a trip to Lisbon as their UEFA Europa League campaign restarts at the round of 16 stage.
Player Ratings:
Aaron Ramsdale 7: Made a crucial save in the first half to prevent Arsenal going 0-2 down in the first half
Takehiro Tomiyasu 4: looked off the pace from the first whistle
William Saliba 6: Poor for the Bournemouth opener but recovered well
Gabriel 6: Same as Saliba, should’ve done better in the opening seconds but recovered
Oleksandr Zinchenko 6: Worked hard but didn’t have quite the same impact as Wednesday vs Everton
Thomas Partey 8: Got the comeback started with his goal and did really well to prevent a number of Bournemouth counter attacks. Always calm in possession as well
Martin Odegaard 7: Always looked like making something happen
Fabio Veria 6: Not quite as good as his midfield colleagues but did ok
Bukayo Saka 6: Not bad but was dealt with well by the Bournemouth left-back
Leandro Trossard N/A: Forced off injured after 20 minutes
Gabriel Martinelli 6: Bright at times but struggled to have a significant impact
Ben White 8: Much better than Tomiyasu and got his first goal in crucial fashion
Emile Smith Rowe 5: Struggled to have a real impact on the game
Reiss Nelson 9: Got a great assist and scored a goal which will live long in the memory, made the headlines
Granit Xhaka N/A: Brought on too late to have a proper impact