Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth: Player ratings as strong Gunners side stunned by Cherries
- Arsenal fall to 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth
- Gunners went strong despite impending PSG second leg
- Declan Rice's first-half strike cancelled out by Dean Huijsen and Evanilson
By Tom Gott
Arsenal's preparations for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain took a huge blow as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth.
A strong Gunners lineup - Arsenal made just two changes from the first leg against PSG - looked set to stroll to a comfortable victory when Declan Rice rounded Kepa Arrizabalaga and fired his side ahead midway through the first half.
Bournemouth refused to lie down, however, and pulled off an impressive second-half comeback thanks to goals from Dean Huijsen and Evanilson, firing the Cherries up to eighth in the Premier League standings and leaving Arsenal just three points clear of Manchester City in second.
For Mikel Arteta's side, the attention must now immediately turn to Wednesday. Their French hosts hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg, putting the pressure on Mikel Arteta's side to go and turn things around, and Arsenal must banish this performance from their collective mind as soon as possible.
Arsenal player ratings (4-3-3)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: David Raya | 5.2/10 |
RB: Ben White | 6.4/10 |
CB: William Saliba | 6.5/10 |
CB: Jakub Kiwior | 6.2/10 |
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly | 6.4/10 |
DM: Thomas Partey | 6.4/10 |
CM: Declan Rice | 8.0/10 |
CM: Martin Odegaard | 7.6/10 |
RW: Bukayo Saka | 6.6/10 |
ST: Leandro Trossard | 6.7/10 |
LW: Gabriel Martinelli | 7.2/10 |
SUB: Mikel Merino (74' for Rice) | 6.4/10 |
SUB: Ethan Nwaneri (86' for Saka) | N/A |
SUB: Raheem Sterling (86' for Martinelli) | N/A |
SUB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (86' for White) | N/A |
Subs not used: Tommy Setford (GK), Brayden Clarke, Kieran Tierney, Jimi Gower, Ethan Nwaneri, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji.
Bournemouth player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga | 7.6/10 |
RB: Julian Araujo | 6.7/10 |
CB: Illia Zabarnyi | 7.3/10 |
CB: Dean Huijsen | 7.9/10 |
LB: Milos Kerkez | 6.6/10 |
DM: Lewis Cook | 7.2/10 |
DM: Tyler Adams | 6.9/10 |
RM: Marcus Tavernier | 7.4/10 |
AM: Justin Kluivert | 6.1/10 |
LM: Dango Ouattara | 7.2/10 |
ST: Evanilson | 8.1/10 |
SUB: Alex Scott (65' for Araujo) | 6.5/10 |
SUB: Antoine Semenyo (65' for Kluivert) | 6.9/10 |
SUB: David Brooks (74' for Ouattara) | 5.8/10 |
SUB: Daniel Jebbison (87' for Evanilson) | N/A |
Subs not used: Will Dennis (GK), Adam Smith, James Hill, Julio Soler, Marcos Senesi.
Player of the match - Evanilson (Bournemouth)
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