As his side chased an equaliser in the dying moments, Mikel Arteta stood with his arms folded on the touchline and shook his head in utter disbelief.
Only the embrace of Andoni Iraola, his old friend from their days growing up at the local club Antiguoko Kirol Elkartea in San Sebastián, as the final whistle sounded broke the Arsenal manager’s stare as he contemplated another frustrating afternoon that summed up their disappointing Premier League campaign.
Having been cruising towards guaranteeing a third second-place finish in a row thanks to a virtuoso performance from Declan Rice on his 100th appearance for the club, suddenly Arsenal found themselves on the end of a second home defeat in four days. In the week that is likely to define their season, it was hardly the best preparation to face Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night.
Dean Huijsen’s header and a scrappy winner from Evanilson mean Arsenal have dropped 21 points from winning positions this season: their most since 2018-19, when Arteta succeeded Unai Emery. The return of such brittleness should be of utmost concern at a club that have struggled so badly to make the final step over the past two decades. Rice’s substitution with 16 minutes to go as Arteta attempted to rest some of his key players before their trip to the French capital backfired spectacularly as Bournemouth seized the points.
It is the second time this season that Iraola – who Arteta had remembered as a “super talented, very skilful” player in his day – has defeated his former teammate in the league and how satisfying it must have felt for the manager who has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham. If he remains on the south coast, those six points could go a long way to sealing a place in Europe next season for his well-drilled side. It would be a remarkable achievement and one that would be richly deserved after even being in contention for the top five until a dip in form in March.
Yet despite his assist for Rice’s goal, the form of Martin Ødegaard remains a major concern for Arsenal. The club’s player of the year for the past two seasons – a title that will surely be passed on to Rice – has scored only twice in the league this season, with Arteta having acknowledged in the buildup that there are “always ups and downs” for creative players. The birth of Ødegaard’s first child in December probably hasn’t done wonders for his sleep pattern either.
He and Bukayo Saka had barely missed a Premier League game for the past three seasons, while Rice played for all but 23 minutes of his first campaign in north London. That is in stark comparison to this season, with the England midfielder, William Saliba, Jurrïen Timber and Thomas Partey the only outfield players to have started more than 30 times so far due to their catalogue of injuries and suspensions. It is two areas that Arteta knows have cost them dearly in their doomed attempt to keep pace with Liverpool. “If you look historically at what happened over the last 100 years, not one single team has done it,” he said on Friday.
With that in mind, it was therefore something of a surprise to see the Arsenal manager make only two changes from the team that lost for the first time in 12 matches in all competitions in the first leg against PSG. But while Ben White struggled on a rare start in place of Timber, who has been another standout performer after missing most of last season due to injury, the return of Partey after suspension enabled Rice to operate further up the pitch than he had against Luis Enrique’s side.
The Bournemouth supporters had taunted him with a chant of “You’re just a shit Harry Arter” in reference to their beloved former captain after he missed the game’s first real chance in the 15th minute. There was more precision about his finish for the opening goal after he charged on to Ødegaard’s through ball and rounded Kepa Arrizabalaga before sliding the ball into the unguarded net. He celebrated by bowing to the Clock End, who did not hold back with their appreciation.
Arteta had predicted that Bournemouth would offer a similar test to the one they will face on Wednesday in Paris in terms of intensity. It’s unlikely that PSG have anyone who can produce such a devastating long throw as Antoine Semenyo, however, and it was the Bournemouth’s substitute’s introduction off the bench that turned the tide when he launched the ball on to Huijsen’s head.
As his side clung on to their lead, Iraola celebrated being awarded a goal-kick in injury time by throwing his hands up in the air before their victory was confirmed moments later. Two wins from theirpast three matches should be enough to guarantee a place in Europe, while Arteta must rally his troops quickly to keep Arsenal’s Champions League dream alive.
