Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal players will be beyond frustrated after their performance against Bournemouth, one that was lacklustre even before William Saliba’s red card.
Arsenal looked leggy, they looked like a side who had several players just returning from an international break.
Of course, that’s no excuse given Andoni Iraola’s side were also facing the same fate, they’ve got plenty of internationals down on the south coast too.
But ultimately Arsenal were denied a proper opportunity to turn their performance around after Saliba was dismissed in the first half – Arteta’s side found themselves defending with 10-men once again.
Alan Shearer thinks Arsenal have a serious problem in that regard, a side receiving far too many red cards, displaying some worrying numbers since 2019.
Lewis Cook says Bournemouth matched Arsenal after red card and deserved their win
But either way, Bournemouth deserved their victory, even if Gabriel Martinelli could have put Arsenal ahead at a pivotal point of the game.
Lewis Cook captained the home side against Arsenal and made some interesting comments about Arteta’s side once they went down to 10 men.
READ MORE: What David Raya was spotted doing to the officials during Arsenal loss vs Bournemouth
Speaking to Sky Sports after full-time, Cook said Bouremouth deserved their win, saying they overcame how compact Arsenal became after their red card.
Cook said: “Sometimes when a team go a man down they can start playing well, like they did at [Manchester] City.
“But we created the chances needed to win the game. We know we want to be clinical as each goal in this league is massive.
“Arsenal are so compact. You think of them as an attacking team but they can adapt. We matched them today and got the win.”
Mikel Arteta will be determined to prove a point against Liverpool
Of course, Arsenal will ultimately want to be remembered for their attacking play, and not their defending first and foremost.
Sadly, there’s already a big sample size of how Arsenal play with 10 men this season, owing the three red cards in just eight games.
And the Gunners will now need to launch a serious reaction against Liverpool next weekend in the Premier League.
Theo Walcott was seriously frustrated with one Arsenal player after the defeat against Bournemouth, pointing out another area in which the Gunners need to improve.
And ultimately this is just a game that Arsenal will need to swiftly put behind them and move on, a poor day at the office that needs to be isolation.
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