Bournemouth end Arsenal's unbeaten run in Premier League 2024-25 season
Bournemouth have brought Arsenal's undefeated start to the season to an end, in a major Premier League upset. The decisive match was played at Vitality Stadium, where Frenchman William Saliba received the first red card of his career. Saliba was sent off within the first 30 minutes for tripping Evanilson near the center circle after an ill-advised pass from Leandro Trossard.
Arsenal's resilience broken by Christie's goal
Despite being a man down, Arsenal showed incredible resilience. They had earlier managed to steal vital points against both Manchester City and Brighton in similar situations. However, their resistance was finally broken when Ryan Christie scored an incredible goal into the top corner after a smart corner routine with just 20 minutes left on the clock.
Kluivert seals victory for Bournemouth
Justin Kluivert, who came on as a substitute in the match, proved to be the difference-maker in Bournemouth's win. He set up Christie's goal by cleverly turning Lewis Cook's low pass into the penalty area. Nine minutes later, Kluivert dashed any hopes of an Arsenal comeback by coolly converting from the penalty spot after Evanilson was fouled by Raya. This gave Bournemouth a much-needed win and ended Arsenal's unbeaten run.
Bournemouth's victory breaks losing streak against Arsenal
The victory was especially important for Bournemouth as it ended their four-match losing streak against Arsenal, with an aggregate score of 13-2. The win took them to the 10th position in the league table. The Cherries have a better goal difference than Manchester United at 11th. Meanwhile, it was a major setback for Arsenal who missed their opportunity to claim the top spot before Liverpool's match against Chelsea on Sunday. Arsenal remain third with 17 points from 8 games.
Here are the match stats
The Cherries had 13 attempts with four shots on target. Arsenal had only one shot on target from six attempts. Mikel Arteta's men had 52% ball possession and a 79% pass accuracy.
Sorry records for the Gunners
This was Arsenal's first away defeat in the league this calendar year and their second overall. As per Squawka, Arsenal have picked up more red cards in the opening eight Premier League games of 2024-25 season (3) than the previous two Premier League seasons combined (2). Saliba has been given a red card for the very first time in 157 games across Europe's big 5 leagues. It's also his first red card in 93 games for Arsenal in all competitions.
