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Half-time: Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth
A thoroughly absorbing first-half ends with the scores level. Playing with the confident abandon of a team with little at stake, Bournemouth went ahead when Kroupi steered a deflected Truffart cross past David Raya. With the nerves of their fans in shreds, Arsenal equalised courtesy of an excellent Viktor Gyokeres penalty awarded for handball against the somewhat unfortunate Ryan Christie. By the increasingly ridiculous letter of the handball law it was probably the right decision but there was nothing he could do to move his hand out of the way of the ball smashed in his direction from close range.
45+1 min: Madueke wins another free-kick for Arsenal out wide on the right. Rice floats the ball towards the far post, where Hill heads clear. It’s half-time.
44 min: Rice is penalised for a foul on Christie and Bournemouth have a free-kick wide on the left. Scott’s delivery is excellent but it’s this much too high for James Hill to nod home at the far post.
42 min: Truffart is penalised for a foul on somebody or other near the technical areas, prompting Arteta to embark on another one of his Basil Fawlty tribute acts.
41 min: Alex Scott sends the ball high over the bar from distance, shooting (or it might have been a cross) from about 30 yards.
39 min: Rice’s inswinger is confidently claimed by Petrovic.
38 min: Gyokeres goes down under a lunge from Senesi just outside the Bournemouth penalty area. Arsenal don’t get a free-kick but have a corner instead because the Bournemouth defender put the ball behind.
36 min: Ryan Christie feels very aggrieved at having been penalised for that handball. His arm was in an “unnatural” position but it was impossible for him to move it out of the way of the ball smashed against it by Gabriel from close range.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth (Gyokeres 35pen)
It’s all square! Viktor Gyokeres pulls his spot-kick into the bottom left-hand corner. Petrovic went the right way but the ball was curling away from him. It’s a perfect penalty.
PENALTY FOR ARSENAL!
Madueke’s corner to the far post is blocked and in the ensuing scramble, Ryan Christie has the ball smashed against his raised hand from point-blank range.
32 min: Jimenez, who is one booking away from a two-match ban, is penalised for a foul on Gyokeres but avoids a yellow card. It’s another free-kick for Arsenal, this time wide on the left. Rice plays it along the floor to Martinelli, the ball returns his way and he tries a shot from distance. The ball goes out for a corner off Evanilson.
30 min: Declan Rice wastes the free-kick, massively overhitting his delivery to the far post and sending the ball wide.
29 min: We approach the half-hour mark and Arsenal are a goal down and have yet to test Djordje Petrovic in the Bournemouth goal. Truffert is penalised for a foul on Madueke as the Arsenal winger tried to pass him. Free-kick for Arsenal, wide on the right, in line with the edege of the penalty area.
26 min: Jimenez canters forward before playing the ball wide to Rayan. He aims a cross towards Kroupi, who meets it on the volley. His goalbound effort hits Gabriel in the face, the Brazilian taking one for the team. Bournemouth are playing like a team that don’t have a care in the world and giving Arsenal plenty to think about. Arsenal’s fans and head coach, in strak contrast, are getting very agitated indeed.
24 min: Senesi fouls Gyokeres as he tries to dispossess him out by the left touchline. It’s a free-kick for Arsenal that might as well be a corner. Rice’s picks out Gabriel at the far post but Truffert hacks his knockdown clear.
21 min: An Arsenal corner comes to nothing and now they’re on the attack down the left with Martinelli on the ball. He’s effortlessly dispossessed by James Hill. That is excellent defending.
19 min: That was an excellent, if somewhat fortuitous goal from Bournemouth. Truffart made an untracked run (hello, Noni Madueke) on the ball through the left side of the Arsenal penalty area. His cross took a big deflection off William Saliba and Junior Kroupi leapt at the far post to poke the ball home as it dropped his way.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Bournemouth (Kroupi 17)
Bournemouth are ahead! Eli Jr Kroupi fires the Cherries in front, leaping high to prod the ball home from close range after an Adrien Truffart cross had taken a big deflection and sent it looping his way.
16 min: We’re just 15 minutes in but Mikel Arteta has been bouncing around inside and outside his technical area, gesticulating furiously like a traffic policeman on amphetamines.
15 min: Rayan gets on the ball, then takes on and beats Lewis-Skelly down the right before running into traffic in the Arsenal penalty area.
14 min: Lewis-Skelly plays the ball wide to Martinelli, who overhits his cross from the left and sends it out of play.
12 min: Madueke and Gyokeres combine superbly down the right and the big Swede pulls the ball into the penalty area from the byline. It’s begging to be buried in the back of the net but Alejandro Jimenez is first on the scene to avert the danger.
10 min: It’s nip and tuck between two good sides early doors but we’re still waiting for our first shot in anger from either of them.
9 min: Gyokeres tries to bring down a speculative ball hoofed in his general direction but is outmuscled by Bournemouth defender James Hill on the edge of the penalty area.
8 min: Kroupi wins the ball from Madueke and advances down the left but is dispossessed. Rice plays the ball back to David Raya.
7 min: Senesi plays the ball forward to Evanilson, whose touch lets him down and sends the ball out of play for a goal kick. Bournemouth are looking lively, getting the ball forward quickly and as often as possible.
5 min: Rayan v Myles Lewis-Skelly could proved one of this afternoon’s more interesting match-ups. The teenage Bournemouth winger made his debut for Brazil during the last international break, coming on as a sub for Matheus Cunha in a friendly against Croatia played in Florida. Well done him.
4 min: Evanilson threads a weighted pass into the Arsenal penalty area trying to pick out the run of Kroupi. His delivery is a mite too firm and David Raya collects the ball.
3 min: Vikto Gyokeres charges up the inside right with the ball at his feet but runs it out of play under pressure from Senesi.
2 min: There’s an early break in play as Evanilson goes down holding his face after shipping a flailing Gabriel arm to the face. It was completely accidental and the Bournemouth striker tells Oliver he doesn’t need treatment.
Arsenal v Bournemouth is go ...
1 min: Michael Oliver blows his whistle and Bournemouth get the ball rolling, their players wearing blue shirts, shorts and socks. Game on!
Not long now: The teams are in the tunnel, with Declan Rice captaining Arsenal in the absence of the injured Martin Odegaard. Ryan Christie is on skippering duty for the Cherries. Out they go, with David Raya issuing a stirring rallying cry to his teammates. Kick-off is just a couple of minutes away and I must say, I’m really looking forward to this game.
An email: “Thanks for your concern for Arsenal fans’ feelings, Barry,” writes Charles Antaki. “Happy to share with you that my feelings, at least, are well illustrated by the photo of the Arsenal fan at the foot of the column; somewhat tottery, but resolutely pressing on. Good luck to him, and may he do the return journey with a jauntier step.”
An email: “How am I feeling?” writes Harry Christie, Arsenal fan. “Mainly nauseous. Although that may have something to do with the ill-advised late night fermented beverage™ more than the prospect of today’s game.
“I think you’re right, a win today and avoid defeat next weekend and it’s surely done. But that ‘avoiding defeat against City’ bit is the giant sky blue elephant in the room – it’s tailor made for Arteta to try and grind out a draw and end in a morale-crushing 2-0 defeat.
“Unlike in 2003/4 when I never wanted it to end, I find myself wishing the remaining games away so it’ll all just be over one way or another. What funny things football does to us.”
Managerial contract news: In short, there is no managerial contract news. Andoni Iraola and Mikel Arteta were both asked if either had been in talks with their respective employers during their pre-match press conferences and both men suggested they had not.
Iraola: “I’m sorry, I don’t have any news for you,” he said. “There has been no change on that side of things.”
Arteta: “We have no time to discuss that now,” he said. “The full focus is on what we have to do from here until the end of the season. I am fully committed and really happy and I feel good. My family is good and I still have so much ambition to do with this football club, and for now we are in a good place.”
Iraola’s contract with Bournemouth expires at the end of this season, while Arteta’s three-year deal with Arsenal is up for renewal at the end of the next one.
How are we feeling, Arsenal fans? If I was a Gooner, I think I’d be experiencing a mixture of giddy excitement and downright terror ahead of the Premier League run-in. Every game is big from here on in but Bournemouth this afternoon and Manchester City next weekend seem particularly massive. While other opinions are available, I think if you win both of those you’re home and hosed as far as the title race is concerned.
The Grand National is on this afternoon and in the unlikely event that Arsenal somehow manage to Devon Loch this season’s title tilt and fail to win the Champions League by way of huge consolation, it’s difficult to know how Arsenal fans will cope. Needless to say, sympathy from fans of other teams will be in extremely short supply.
Today’s match officials
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Referee: Michael Oliver.
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Assistants: Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring.
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Fourth official: Gavin Ward.
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VAR: Darren England.
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Assistant VAR: Wade Smith.
Mikel Arteta and Andoni Iraola: Today’s head coaches have been friends since they were nine years old, having grown up just a few miles apart in San Sebastian and played for the same amateur youth team, Antiguoko, alongside a young whippersnapper named Xabi Alonso. Arteta has described Iraola as the most talented player in the team. “I think he was better technically than everybody else,” he said. “He would be a dream for any manager.” He could prove a nightmare for Arsenal’s manager today.
Ed Aarons
Mikel Arteta: “Embrace the opportunity”
Mikel Arteta believes winning the Premier League this season would mean more given that Arsenal have waited 22 years to be champions and said his players “will put everything on the table” to make the final step. Arsenal sent an email to season-ticket holders this week asking them to arrive early for the 12.30pm kick-off, and Arteta has urged fans to “have an early breakfast, bring your lunch”.
Arsenal’s manager said that after three successive runners-up finishes, this had to be their moment. “Embrace the opportunity, the difficulty. I think the outcome when we reach that is going to be totally different to any other club. You’re there in clubs and you go there as a manager and they won it the year before or two years before; you win it, it’s fine. [It happens] a lot in Europe.
“But this one is a very particular one – in the Premier League because it’s been 22 years and the Champions League has never been done before. So that has to fill you with enthusiasm, energy and there’s the possibility and the probability that it’s very big to do it. So put everything on the table because that’s the moment to do it.”
Arsenal v Bournemouth line-ups
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Zubimendi, Rice, Havertz, Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, Hincapie, Jesus, Eze, Norgaard, Trossard, Dowman, Salmon.
Bournemouth: Petrovic, Jimenez, Hill, Truffert, Senesi, Scott, Christie, Rayan, Tavernier, Kroupi Jr, Evanilson.
Subs: Mandas, Adams, Brooks, Gannon-Doak, Smith, Diakite, Adli, Unal, Toth.
Myles Lewis-Skelly starts for Arsenal
The 19-year-old makes only his second Premier League start of the season, coming in at left-back in place of Riccardo Calafiori. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli are in for Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard in Mikel Arteta’s two other changes. Odegaard is not in the matchday squad. For Bournemouth, Eli Junior Kroupi replaces Amine Adli in Andoni Iraola’s only change.
Early team news
Mikel Arteta was coy on the the fitness concerns surrounding his squad during his pre-match press conference but said “there will be changes” to the team that started against Sporting. He did assure reporters that Eberechi Eze is available for selection. “The will that he’s shown from day one to get back as quick as possible, how he’s pushed the medical staff and himself to be there, it’s just great to watch,” he said.
Mikel Merino remains sidelined, while there are doubts over the fitness of Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard and Piero Hincapie for today’s game. “I don’t know,” Arteta said upon being asked who would be be able to play. “Some of them.”
For Bournemouth, Justin Kluivert and Lewis Cook are definitely out, while Andoni Iraola said Junior Kroupi and Alex Jimenez “are fully recovered and ready to go” after recovering from niggles they picked up on international duty.
Iraola said Kluivert is recovering well after knee surgery and is eager to return to action as soon as possible in a bid to keep his hopes of playing for the Netherlands at the World Cup alive. “He’s doing really well but we cannot do stupid things,” said Iraola. “We have to give the time that everybody needs.”
Premier League: Arsenal v Bournemouth
To the Emirates, where a win for league leaders Arsenal will move them 12 points clear of Manchester City for a day at least, albeit having played two games more and with a mouthwatering clash between the two sides slated for next weekend. Today’s match against Bournemouth is Arsenal’s first League match in almost a month and they come into it on the back of a creditable but workmanlike away win against Sporting in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League.
The stalemate specialists from the south coast arrive at the Emirates on the back of five consecutive top flight draws (out of 15 so far this season), the most recent coming against Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium. In 13th place, with their head coach’s future clouded with uncertainty, Bournemouth remain in contention for European qualification, despite their mid-table position. Kick-off at the Emirates is at 12.30pm (BST) but we’ll have team news and build-up in the meantime.
