Result: Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal
Competition: FA Cup
Date: 18 January 2020
Venue: Vitality Stadium
Arsenal: Martinez, Bellerin, Mustafi, Sokratis, Saka, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Pepe, Willock, Martinelli, Nketiah
Subs: Leno, Maitland-Niles, Holding, Torreira, Ceballos, Ozil, Lacazette
Arsenal will face Portsmouth in the last-16 of the FA Cup after securing a 2-1 win against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Man-of-the-match Bukayo Saka scored and then assisted Eddie Nketiah in a dominant first half showing as the Gunners youngsters repaid the faith shown in them by Mikel Arteta.
The home side threatened to take the tie to an unlikely replay when substitute Sam Surridge grabbed a goal back in stoppage time but the visitors held tight.
Pre-game
Martinez came in for Leno between the sticks, Sokratis, back from illness, took over from the suspended David Luiz with Saka and Bellerin getting more minues at full-back. In the centre of the park, Torreira was given a breather meaning Guendouzi partnered Xhaka and Willock started behind a three-man attack of Pepe, Martinelli and Nketiah. A relatively experienced bench included Ceballos, who has been linked with a return to Spain.
First half
It didn’t take long for us to find our rhythm.
One of the benefits of playing a winger at left-back is that when they’re in front of goal, you back them to score. That’s exactly what Bukayo Saka did after five minutes when he crashed the ball home off the crossbar after a slick 22-pass move that culminated with Pepe, Willock and Martinelli working possession across field. The 18-year-old celebrated his third goal of the season with a chest bump from the Brazilian. (1-0)
Eddie Howe’s side have been on a terrible run in recent weeks and despite a morale-boosting 3-1 win against Brighton last week they looked short of confidence. It’s been rare for any side to afford us so much time on the ball this season. Whenever the opportunity arose, Xhaka would tuck in at left-back allowing Saka to roam free on the left. Switching play with long diagonals was another feature that worked well for us.
Willock had a chance to double the lead on 19 minutes when he rolled his man to wriggle free in the box. Travers made a stop at close quarters and the rebound bounced clear. It was a temporary reprieve for the Cherries.
When the second goal came on 26 minutes, it was straight from the Academy training field. Nketiah and Willock worked the ball to Saka who found Nketiah inside the six-yard box for a tap in. It was a lovely move. VAR took a couple of minutes to check for an offside against Martinelli who had made a clever near post run but the goal, quite rightly, stood. Opta later revealed it was the third game this season that Saka had bagged a goal and assist in the same game. On Twitter, Borussia Dortmund’s teen sensation, Jadon Sancho, voiced his approval. (2-0)
Harry Wilson drew a good save from Martinez on 37 minutes but inside 10 seconds Martinelli had carried the ball into the Bournemouth box. A Willock shot was blocked and looped into the hands of Travers. The Brazilian’s ability to carry the ball at pace is such a boon.
Second half
After their insipid first half showing, the home side were obviously told to have a go. The game got scrappy with Guendouzi doing his best to single-handedly break up any momentum with a series of niggly fouls. Unsurprisingly, he became the pantomime villain.
Injuries to Martinelli and Mustafi further slowed things. The German, who’d had a solid game, collided with Martinez trying to clear a long ball and fell awkwardly on his ankle. It looked nasty and he was stretchered off to be replaced by Holding.
As Arsenal legs started to lag, we conceded more fouls in dangerous positions. It was reminiscent of the game at Crystal Palace earlier this month, another that we’d initially dominated. Martinez made a real hash trying to punch a corner clear and he was lucky that the ball went wide when it came off Simpson’s head.
As the rain started to pour down, Arteta made a second change, switching Pepe for the lesser-spotted Ceballos. Willock moved to the right as the Spaniard took up a central position. We started to play again which dampened expectations on the terraces.
The game descended into a series of comical, albeit painful, collisions that saw Bellerin, Saka, Gosling, Sokratis and Cook all require treatment in the space of seven minutes. The boys in yellow were dissuaded from taking it easy in the closing stages by Arteta who prowled the touchline barking instructions.
Eight minutes of stoppage time made for an extended evening. Annoyingly, the home side reduced the deficit. A teasing ball from the right was curled into the box and Surridge, on as a substitute, took the ball round Martinez before tapping home. (2-1)
There were still four minutes remaining, to which a further two were added because of another VAR intervention. Lewis Cook, in the 100th minute, had one final chance to force a replay in the winter break but he skied over from the edge of the box.
Total control in the first half, and total lack of it in the second. We got the result we wanted, but we need to be able to shut down games. Once it starts getting scrappy, the injuries start rolling in. We really cannot afford having any more players out if we want to get anything positive out of this season.
Saka and Martinelli continue to boss that left hand side. Keown was comparing them to Cole and Pires, they probably will be.
Bring on Portsmouth.
Saka gives real perspective to the Kolasinac situation. Anyone else find it strange that we’re more defensively solid with an 18 year old winger than an experienced wing back in his prime years?
Maybe Xhaka covering more often has something to do with it.
I think you just answered yourself. Kola was doing pretty good as well before his injury.
So Arteta’s Jedi mind tricks have already worked on Xhaka and Ceballos. Now it’s time to convince Saka that he’s a left back.
And anyone out there who thinks his attacking qualities would be sacrificed at LB should go watch TAA and Robertson. Fullbacks are quickly becoming the most prevalent attacking wide threat.
This is the left back we are looking for. Now get me some orange sher-bert.
Tierney was looking pretty solid in that regard as well prior to his latest injury. The one positive per this year really is how many young players have seen significant game time.
Oh yeah. Tierney. You know, I had Ceballosed him completely.
Mustafi looked very good today and his ball distribution. Shame he got injured. It was his best game for years.
It was nice to hear the fans sing his name.
Someone said it was the opposition fans singing that which made me very sad. Can any away fans enlighten me please?
Not likely. TV showed away fans singing. They’d done it in the first half as well.
Seems to be the way so often that when a player is starting to find some form they get hurt and go back to square one.
So much luck involved in the career of a professional footballer.
What a player Saka, doing such a good job out of position that people want to keep him their. Don’t forget, his best performances came playing as an attacker. TAA doesn’t even want to play RB anymore (on record), just like other good attacking full backs who switched to a more advanced position (recently Bale, Lahm)because they were too good for defending and running up and down the pitch. Saka is a rare, complete, 18yo left-footed AM, Roberson is a typical LB with good defending, stamina, crossing and not much else. At 18, Saka has more class in his weaker… Read more »
Good lord the standard of officiating is appalling. Well done Arsenal, beat Bournemouth and VAR tonight.
Mike Dean was the VAR!
The Cunt tried his best to rule out our first.
What! I just turned the stream off… how do you do this?!
Great win, COYG! Saka, what a chap!
Entertaining game with really commanding performances from Saka, Nketiah and Martinelli. Pepe is also exellent and most of the other players are quick and offensive.
Arsenal is fun to watch again!
Unto the next round…
Everyone played with passion…
Speedy recovery to everyone…
Bournemouth team is an upgraded version of stoke…
Everybody now sees the advantage of having a 2 goal cushion….
Let’s approach every game with the same intensity and see how the season ends.
COYG
Martinez took over the role of Mustafi tonight …
I could watch a full 90 minutes of Ceballos doing stepovers. The guy is a joy to watch
guendouzi was getting bood by Bournemouth by the end of the game i love his shit-housery.
I guess Arteta is training him in the Man City art of small fouls to break up play
If he can get away with half the number Fernandinho has during his time at Oil City he’ll be doing amazingly well.
I felt he got better as the boo’s got louder. I particularly liked it when they booed him for nutmegging some twat.
The drop in our second half performances is a worry. More than that it’s our inability to create many chances. Our passing is still slow at times too. Other than that a really good performance from Saka especially. Easily Guendouzis best game under Arteta. There’s more to come. A good away win. COYG!
I think Arteta will be relishing the upcoming winter break. There’s going to be a lot of work going down in those 2 weeks.
I thought the players were getting an actual break. Klopp is giving his players a week off to do what they want, not giving them an intensice football boot camp
Good job lads, but away fans, take a bow.
Yeah plenty of Arsenal chants coming loud and clear on BT Sport
The away fans have been absolute class these last two games. Wish that can be replicated at the Emirates.
Impossible. Too many prawn sandwiches.
… and corporate tickets.
I’d love to see a statistic of how many match goers are not Arsenal fans for any given game at the Emirates. I bet you it’d be suprizingly high.
Martin Tyler sometimes sounds like he’s commentating on the trains going by
Tyler is to commentating as fish are to bicycles
Its about time that dinosaur retired his microphone.Plenty of other better commentators about who can take his place.
Punditry is awful throughout, give it to ian wright and Arsene Wenger….and i’ll be happy.
Having tuned in it took me a few seconds to realize it was Martin Tyler on the mic. A far cry from even a few years ago. Time to hang it up.
Really enjoyed the first half. IMHO we should make subs around 60-70 to bring up some fresh legs. Saka will be MVP but boy …Guendouzi bossed it in the middle of the park!
Guendo was excellent. Good display all round.
Great against a near non-existent Bournemouth in the first half and mainly solid in the second. One switch off from Holding made the end unnecessarily frantic. Holding does not look confident and that the second game he’s played terrible passes into midfield.
Holding’s been out for over a year, had no pre-season.
And had the usual niggles coming back from a big injury.
Pretty harsh to criticise.
We criticise Mustafi when he makes a mistake. Holding didn’t track his man, then played an unnecessary hospital pass into midfield. Mustafi has barely played either. Lets face it, we don’t currently have any good options at centreback. Arteta just has to do the best he can. There is a reason we’re mid table you know.
When you need a goal
Who do you call ?
He is always ready … ( hint – no.30 ) 😉
Was that horrible c*nt really doing his best for 2 minutes to see if Martinellis thumb was offside by 1mm? Rhetorical question.
Yes he was! Rhetorical answer.
I liked that. A good result and some good education for the young lads. I LOVE that Guendouzi absolutely will not be fucked with. The refs and VAR are cunts.
I am scared for the Burnley match. I can’t watch Arteta drop Martinelli for Bumzette
Martinelli won’t be dropped, he’s the most in-form player we have right now. I suspect Lacazette will start on the bench at Burnley.
He could be rested though.
Lacazette is brilliant, does so much thankless work.
He’s clearly being asked to drop deep, and then have the wide players attack the space behind him.
Exactly. He isnt scoring goals which is what ya striker loves to do, but he does a lot of work to help the team and bring others into the equation. He deserves a lot more positive feedback from the fans. Of course, if he could just find that missing pair of shooting boots again then its all happy places moving forward!
Sra? Bumzette? Really???
Original. Insightful. Bumzette. Best you could come up with?
lacazette May be in a goal scoring drought, but he works his ass off for the team. He’s contributing in other ways.
I would go for a front 3 of martinelli -auba-pepe. With Ozil behind. Play of the counter attack more. But I think lacazette will probably be the one to start in that CF role.
A two goal cushion is so vital for this Arsenal side. Regardless, I hope it becomes the minimum standard. Never a bad thing.
Good first half, there is progress under MA
Well played. Mustafi was excellent Pepe not so good if we need another target?
Mustafi was actually very good today. And just his luck that he gets injured. You’ve gotta feel bad for the guy.
Willock was lost under Emery. Is found under Arteta. Just sayin’.
Some of those turns he was doing ? ? ?
I don’t think he was lost under Emery. He had some good games
under him too.
Good moves by Willock and a very dedicated player for us.
BUT you feel we still need more nuance through the middle. Willock
has a role in the squad but we need to bring in someone who can
really pick locks through 90minutes and replace Ozil.
Some nice moves for the goals. There is quite a lot of running and energy between Nketiah, Martinelli, Willock, Saka and Pepe which I like. Guendouzi looked confident. You hardly see him giving away the ball like Xhaka does. He really seems a prospect with some needed polishing. Xhaka again with some sloppy, poor passing as the game was progressing. You can hardly see him changing in that sense. I would like to see someone much sharper with a ball in his position even if he does some things well, that´s just how I feel. Big problems still to solve… Read more »
1) Young Guns execute plan with more diligence for Arteta. 2) Mustafi starts again. Nothing wrong with Holding. Decent match for the German apart from one poor pass. Some good forward distribution too. Shame with injury but I suppose a more panicky than usual Martinez had his doubts Mustafi was going to make the right decision. 3) Pepe again dissappointing. 72m. Some people like to invent excuses. He’s been in the club half a season same amount of time as Martinelli. 4) Saka fearless. Hope to see him back on the left wing next season. Solid display today with a… Read more »
Enough with your bad vibes alresdy
Does anyone else think that Eddie Nketiah looks remarkably similar to Marlo Stanfield in the Wire?
Saka be giving me big grins… That was an absolutely cracker of a goal! Get in son!???
The away jerseys as always are mint
A few days before I mentioned the lack of a good team goal that we were so used to scoring under Wenger.. It was great to see a 20+ pass team move goal..
For me THIS is a great sign that we are making real progress under Arteta..
Fuck VAR
The lads are good and the future of this great club is bright.