Arsenal Suffer First loss of season due to Saliba, Trossard

Arsenal suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday as they fell 2-0 to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

The Gunners had control of the game until the 30th minute, when Leandro Trossard’s careless pass left William Saliba in trouble before earning red for a foul that VAR deemed to have denied Evanilson a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Some positive moments of goalkeeping by David Raya ensured Arsenal held Bournemouth scoreless by the break.

Antoine Semenyo was one of Bournemouth’s brightest as the Cherries began to create chances, though he should have done better moments after the restart with an effort at the backpost that was struck off target.

Arsenal could have taken the lead with their best chance of the match when Mikel Merino intercepted Kepa Arrizabalaga’s pass before picking out substitute Gabriel Martinelli, only for him to strike the ball straight at the goalkeeper. That miss proved to be costly as they went behind two minutes later, with Ryan Christie finishing off a well-taken Bournemouth corner.

An under-hit pass by Jakub Kiwior led to Raya giving away a penalty for the home side to double the lead through Justin Kluivert, and the Gunners looked resigned to defeat with Mikel Merino being withdrawn.

Positives

Merino enjoyed a bright performance despite the result, and he looks to be a strong fit for Arsenal’s system. Declan Rice was also a standout in midfield with his defensive work.

Negatives

The absences of Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka were noticeable in an Arsenal attack that didn’t create many moments of promise. An upcoming suspension for William Saliba means he misses the next Premier League match against Liverpool.