Bournemouth 0 – 2 Arsenal

Review by Phil Sawyer (Twitter: @sawyer_phil)

Arsenal grabbed all three points at Dean Court, a match which ended with the same scoreline as the reverse fixture in North London back in December.

The Cherries were left ruing a 90 second spell which saw the title chasing Gunners score a quick-fire double, in a game generally lacking in goal mouth incident but rich in midfield quality.

It seemed from the 8^th minute of the game that it wasn’t to be the home sides’ afternoon. Mathieu Flamini went steaming into Bournemouth midfielder Dan Gosling with a reckless lunge. Two footed, out of control, over the top of the ball – the French Midfielder’s challenge seemingly ticked all the boxes for a straight red card. Referee Kevin Friend somehow decided a yellow would suffice – a decision that infuriated Bournemouth management and players alike. Whilst Flamini protested, he must have felt relieved that his moment of madness happened so early in the afternoon, before the referee had settled into the match.

Perhaps spurred on by this good fortune, Arsenal settled into their best period of play. Controlling possession in attacking areas, the expensively assembled array of midfield talent began to express themselves. Working the ball concisely across the Cherries back line, the Gunners kept the ball moving, ever probing for weakness in the well organised defence. Eventually, this pressure culminated in a decent move that was started by Aaron Ramsey, knocked down by Giroud and finished by Ozil, with the mercurial German smashing the ball into the roof of the net from close range.

The Cherries reaction to going behind will have been a huge frustration for manager Eddie Howe, who had seen his team react superbly in the same situation on Tuesday at Crystal Palace. The home side had barely regrouped following the first goal before Boruc was again having to pick the ball out of his net. This time Oxlade-Chamberlain did the damage, finishing smartly off the inside of the post. Arsenal were showing the same ruthlessness in front of goal that had proved costly for Bournemouth in the reverse fixture at the Emirates in December, and Howes’ team now had it all to do.

As with the first meeting between these two sides, the second goal did spark a Bournemouth recovery, and they finally cast off their nerves and began to play. The home side showed that despite the deficit, they still had the courage and trust in their abilities to take possession of the ball, and finally found their passing rhythm. It was unfortunate that as the team faced one of their stiffest tests yet, a cutting edge seemed lacking in the side as they toiled in front of goal.

This was born out in the closing stages, as Bournemouth ramped up the pressure on the title hopefuls, only to see a succession of chances beaten away by the outstanding Petr Cech in the Arsenal goal. One double save in particular to deny Cook then Arter demonstrated the class of the Czech International, and it wasn’t looking good for the Cherries, at least in terms of the result.

Overall, it proved frustrating viewing for the home fans, who saw their team create more chances and enjoy more possession than their illustrious visitors, without really looking like they were going to score the goals to get them back into the game. With a stroke of fortune, a bit of individual brilliance or a stronger referee things could have panned out differently, but Howe will undoubtedly be glad to see the back of Arsenal this season.