Arsenal suffer their first defeat of the season as they were stunned 2-0 by Bournemouth in a Premier League match on Saturday. The turning point came when Arsenal defender William Saliba was sent off after just 30 minutes for a professional foul on Bournemouth’s Evanilson. Initially given a yellow card, the decision was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review.
The Gunners, who had started the season with a 10-match unbeaten run in all competitions, struggled to maintain their composure after Saliba’s exit. Despite their efforts, they were finally breached in the 70th minute when Ryan Christie scored for Bournemouth, capitalizing on a corner kick that was flicked on by Justin Kluivert.
The match was sealed in the 79th minute when Bournemouth were awarded a penalty after David Raya brought down Evanilson in the penalty area. Kluivert converted the penalty, sending Raya the wrong way and securing a 2-0 victory for Bournemouth.
This defeat is particularly significant for Arsenal, as a win would have taken them to the top of the Premier League. Instead, they now face a challenging match against title rivals Liverpool next weekend without the suspended Saliba. Arsenal’s performance was also hampered by the absence of injured forward Bukayo Saka, who was sidelined after an injury during England‘s match against Greece.
Arsenal will look to bounce back in their upcoming Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. The loss to Bournemouth marks only the second time in their history that Arsenal have been defeated by the Cherries, and it is a significant setback in their bid to win their first English title since 2004.
