Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal PLAYER RATINGS: Which Cherries star was ‘a handful of whole games?’ Who ‘seemed to be bypassed with not much effort’ for the Gunners? And who ‘always felt isolated’ from the visitors?

Arsenal suffered a blow in their bid to finally win the Premier League title when they suffered an unexpected defeat to Bournemouth on the south coast.

And which Cherries star was ‘a handful all game?’ Who ‘seemed to be bypassed with not much effort’ for the Gunners? And who ‘always felt isolated’ from the visitors?

It was an early red card for the visitors, with William Saliba adjudged to have denied Evanilson a clear scoring opportunity following a VAR review, having initially only been shown a yellow card.

Arsenal had previously done it with ten, but Ryan Christie scored from a smart corner and Justin Kluivert then scored from the penalty spot to secure the victory.

Mail Sport’s ISAAN KHAN was at the Vitality Stadium to judge the players from both sides.

Justin Kluivert was on the scoresheet as Bournemouth secured a surprise victory over Arsenal

The game changed early when William Saliba was sent off for bringing down Evanilson

The Gunners held on until Ryan Christie fired home from a clever corner from the hosts

Bournemouth (4-2-3-1)

Kepa Arrizabalaga-7

Faced fewer shots than expected due to Saliba’s red card, which seriously affected Arsenal’s plans. He gave the ball away to Merino, but saved Martinelli’s follow-up shot well. Ultimately a clean slate.

Julian Araujo-6

Good fit with Ouattara when it comes to playing prospects. Crocheted during half time.

Ilia Zabarnyi – 6.5

Unimpressed by the physical threat in front of him, they dug deep in the opening 30 minutes as the Gunners enjoyed possession around the box.

Marcos Senesi-6.5

Met the task alongside Zabaryni, especially against Havertz.

Milos Kerkez – 6.5

Puts in a great shift at the full back. Was vigilant in making sure he stayed in shape with the defense.

Alex Scott-7

An important link between the back line and the attack. An energetic display. Well dismissed Semenyo after intercepting Raya’s mistake.

Kepa Arrizabalaga conceded fewer shots than expected and earned a clean sheet for the Cherries

Lewis Cook-6.5

His short corner kick, which was tapped in by substitute Kluivert, resulted in the Cherries’ goal. Overall well played.

Antoine Semenyo-8

All over the field. Whether he was cutting in from wide or entering the area, Semenyo was a constant threat for Arsenal. Should have scored after 47 minutes by hitting the ball over the bar from ten meters. Still, his performance contributed greatly to his team’s victory.

Marcus Tavernier – 6.5

In the second half I had more feeling for the ball. Another element added to the attack on Bournemouth.

Dango Outtara-7

A handful of all games. It gave White a nightmare when he was tight in crossing positions. Rushed around relentlessly and got the ball into the penalty area several times.

Evanilson-7

His run caused Saliba to foul him, resulting in the red card. The game-changing moment.

Manager

Andoni Iraola-7

Two of his substitutes scored their first goal together. The tactics were perfect and got their deserved rewards.

Antoine Semenyo was all over the pitch and should have scored when he shot over the bar

Evalison provided the decisive moment when he was eliminated by Saliba in the first half

Arsenal (4-3-3)

David Raya-5

Gave the ball to Scott in the first half, which the Cherries failed to capitalize on. Made some good saves but brought down Evanilson, resulting in a penalty.

Ben White-5

Semenyo and Ouattara caused him problems on the right flank. Only just returned from injury so that was probably a contributing factor. Not at his usual best.

William Saliba – 4.5

Bad decision to withdraw Evanilson, which the VAR rightly deemed worthy of a red card. The contact was light, but the Frenchman knew what he was doing.

Gabriel – 6

He had a heavy burden on his shoulders for most of the match without Saliba. In that regard, he did his best to meet the challenge.

Gabriel had a heavy burden on his shoulders for most of the match without Saliba and did his best to rise to the challenge

Riccardo Calafiori-5.5

A decent display, adapted to the broadcast, but this was a tougher task than he expected.

Declan Rice – 5.5

I tried to negate the Cherries’ relentless pressure in the middle. Although he felt increasingly isolated and faced with the opposition who had a numerical advantage.

Thomas Partey-6

I got stuck in tackles and played some nice passes from defensive positions. Although he and his team were run over in midfield.

Mikel Merino-5.5

Surprisingly played forward. Made some nice connections in attack, but seemed to be bypassed with little effort during forward attacks by the opponent.

Raheem Sterling-5

Should have shot when he got past Kerkez, but chose not to. The autumn man, substituted after dropping to 10 men.

Kai Havertz-5

Couldn’t use his best attribute: his aerial skills. Not given a single chance not to be in front of goal.

Raheem Sterling was the fall player and was substituted when Arsenal were down to 10 men early on

Kai Havertz could not use his best assets and did not have a single chance in front of goal

Leandro Trossard-5

His terrible pass led to Saliba being sent off for a rash challenge. Other than that, things looked lively on the ball. However, this pass replaces the rest.

Manager

Mikel Arteta – 5.5

Difficulty adapting. Not an easy task, yet these are the games Arsenal simply cannot lose.