Arsenal loses 2-0 to Bournemouth after Saliba is sent off

Following a straight red card for Gunner’s defender William Saliba in the first half, Bournemouth shocked 10-man Arsenal 2-0 at home on Saturday thanks to a penalty kick from Justin Kluivert and a masterfully crafted goal by Ryan Christie.

With both teams playing on Sunday, the loss put an end to Arsenal’s undefeated start to the league season and dropped them to third place in the rankings with 17 points, one point behind leaders Liverpool and behind Manchester City on goal differential.

In the 16th minute, Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya gave away the ball cheaply, allowing in-form Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo to shoot over the bar. This was a preview of the mistake-filled performance that was to follow.

Arsenal had already lost Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard due to injury, and the game’s turning point came at the half when Saliba’s yellow card for hauling down Evanilson was changed to red following a VAR review.

Five minutes later, the Arsenal keeper mishandled a cross from Semenyo, requiring a quick recovery to stop Marcus Tavernier’s follow-up. Semenyo was in the heart of things once more in the 36th minute, with a strong dribble and shot that Raya parried back for a corner.

Christie ultimately broke the stalemate in the 70th minute when fellow substitute Kluivert flicked a low corner into his path. The 29-year-old then hammered it into the top corner to give Bournemouth the lead after they had used their one-man advantage to force the visitors back.

After Raya knocked down Evanilson in the box seven minutes later, Kluivert converted from the penalty spot to make it 2-0 and give the Cherries three well-earned points, making things much worse for Arsenal.