A comprehensive 4-0 win at the Vitality Stadium sees Arsenal temporarily climb up to second place in the table ahead of next week’s crunch clash with Manchester City.
Here’s what the coaches, players and pundits had to say about this afternoon’s match…
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Mikel Arteta on Arsenal’s seven-game unbeaten start to the season…
Yes, very difficult [to achieve]. You know the level in this league, every opponent is extremely difficult to beat and we are trying to do it every week and play as good as we possibly can to try to win games and today we have managed to do that and now we have another one on Tuesday [against Lens].
Source: BBC Sport
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Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola on Arsenal’s performance…
Today is the first day where the game has finished and I feel we were not at the level that the opposition required us. It’s true that Arsenal played really well, they are a very, very good team. We have to be very good if we are to compete. The start of the game, we lacked a bit of aggressiveness and when we started to get tired we couldn’t be so dangerous. They are a very, very good team out of possession. They have good players, I’m thinking Odegaard, Havertz and Rice who are very good at winning the ball with the press, the duels, second balls. It gives them strength in the midfield to try to recover high and attack from there. They also have very good wingers to make the difference.
Source: Post-game press conference | Hayters
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Oleksandr Zinchenko had more touches and played more passes than any #AFC player today, despite being subbed off in the 69th minute.
— Sam Dean (@SamJDean) September 30, 2023
Mikel Arteta on Arsenal not conceding away from home this season…
It’s a huge one, to win games in this league, keeping clean sheets for us is going to be crucial and away from home is probably even bigger and the challenge is now can we take that into the Emirates as well and be consistent.
Source: Post-game press conference | Arsenal.com
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Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka handing over two penalties today, one to Odegaard and one to Havertz…
Well, it shows, one, the people that we have in that dressing room. The ability to leave the ‘me’ and focus on the ‘we’. And what they did today for Kai, it was a really moving moment. He’s someone that is going through a period externally, not internally, but externally that he’s getting questioned in certain areas. For the team to step up and show that empathy and as well that trust towards him, they won my heart even more today, that group of players. The fact that they can make those decisions, that’s leadership and that’s accountability. That’s what we asked them to do and I’m so glad that they made that decision.
Source: BBC Sport
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This is the 8th time Arsenal have won two penalties in the same game in the Premier League.
West Ham Sep 95
Newcastle Oct 98
Man City Oct 05
Spurs Dec 06
Charlton Jan 07
WBA Dec 12
Stoke Apr 18
Bournemouth Sep 23This is the first time it's happened in an away game.#BOUARS
— Orbinho (@Orbinho) September 30, 2023
Declan Rice on the love shown to Kai Havertz after he scored…
It was emotional, for the fans, for Kai, for everyone involved, because we want him to succeed so much. Honestly, he works his socks off every day in training. In games, he gives absolutely everything. He’s had chances to score this year, hadn’t scored yet, but today to slot away a penalty in that high-pressure moment, shows the mindset that he’s got, shows the talent he’s got and his all-round performance was so special, I’m so happy for him.
Source: Arsenal.com
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Mikel Arteta on facing Manchester City next…
I feel great we have won the game, that’s the only thing we can control, I am just thinking on that bus, how we can prepare for Lens, it’s going to be a really tough match away from home on Tuesday to try to win it and City will be the next step, but it’s taking a lot of good things and move them for Tuesday and again try to make the right decision with the line-up and squad to maintain the level we are showing.
Source: Post-game press conference | Arsenal.com
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Great stuff . If we can keep the injuries low then we have a good chance of another strong season. Squad depth is deep with people like ESR and others on the bench.
Hope we can keep City’s losing run going!
Wanted that goal so badly for ESR. unlucky!
At least Havertz got you a goal!! 😉
Cheeky fucker aren’t you 😘
Seriously, he’s been pretty good the last two games. Saying that they’re not great teams. Let’s see big game Kai against man shitty – then I’ll get excited!!
I actually thought that Havertz played really well the last time we played City.
And p.s., I’d certainly pick him to start against Shitty, even just for his defensive work and work off ball on defense; he’s definitely stronger than Vieira in that area. That should help with our possession, pressing and potential to create live-ball turnovers. If (or how about if I say when ;)) he starts bringing a more dynamic offensive game, creating more, driving with the ball and taking players on (successfully more) then we have the player we all hoped for.
Agreed.
Corker of a shot on target. His goal will come, he keeps getting better each performance and we are going to need him in the regular rotation.
1. Why on earth was Rice taking short corners. With his height and strength he should be in the box.
2. How on earth did Bournemouth not get even 1 yellow card in this game? How? This referre should be investigated for betting. He was not going to give them a yellow no matter what.
How the fuck could there not be a yellow for that rugby tackle that ESR nearly scored from. Well done arsenal coaching team using the set piece coach to take this hit. That’s actually a tactic MLB teams do. Send the hitting or pitching coach up to reem out the umpires and get tossed to save the head coach. Nice tactic!
Of course, it shpuld have been a yellow–but here’s how–I think–the referee would explain it. He was right to aloow play to continue rather than blow it dead because an advantage to Arsenal could develop, and he would blow it dead if the advantage didn’t happen. (I think we all agree this part was good officiating.) Once the advantage not only happened, but turned out to be a legitimate goal scoring opportunity, it wiped out the severity of the foul. In other words, the yellow card would have been given because it was a tactical foul, not because it was… Read more »
Playing advantage doesn’t remove the ability of the ref to issue a card after play has stopped. The ref simply chose not to do his job because he was out of his depth or in the tank for bournemouth.
The assistant coaches love doing that as well. Jover doing a good job, we are deadly from set pieces.
He’s probably the best right footed crosser we have. Given how many long corners we couldn’t even manage to get in the box so far this season, I’d say that’s a higher priority than having one person there that’s an inch or two taller. If the ball doesn’t even get near you it doesn’t matter how tall you are.
He wasn’t crossing the ball. He just played short passes with MO and Zinchenko.
I know, but I think the decision to kick it short was spontaneous, think he initially went to kick it thinking it will be a long one.
Yeah, no Martinelli or Trossard to take the corners from that side, so try a play off a short corner.
Interesting that an opposition manager singles out Havertz (along with Rice and Ode) for how good he is at pressing and winning the ball back. I wonder if the club has a bunch of advanced stats that are causing or supporting Mikel’s decision to keep starting Havertz and Nketiah, and which they can’t release for fear of losing competitive advantage. Mikel doesn’t seem like the type of manager to just base his lineups on the eye test and pure intuition… it’s obvious both are players who do a lot of things that help you win that don’t catch the eye… Read more »
Yeah, I thought his comments were really telling. I was actually more surprised he named Rice, because I see it myself from Odegaard and Havertz (this was the part of his performance that you could even see at Chelsea).
What’s missing is you/we don’t see them train everyday.
I doubt Iraola sees them train every day either 🤷♂
4 away games this season (including the Carabao), 4 clean sheets. That is fucking impressive. If we can find a way to take that away steel into Home games, we are going to be really irritating to play against.
Long may it continue, but I think we were a bit lucky at Brentford to keep a clean sheet, but with our first team I don’t think they will give us the same troubles. I also think against teams like City and Liverpool we should play Tomi on the left to give us that added security. I feel like against better opponents Zinchenko is exposed in defense.
I was with the Cherries fans behind the dugouts and Rice looked very stiff when he came on the pitch at the end. I hope this back isn’t going to be chronic problem.
Eddie was average today. He puts it about, won his pen but his first touch and awareness is not up to standard. I hope we don’t take the juice out of Jesus by playing him wide to accommodate Ed.
Jesus is being played out wide because both Martinelli and Trossard are missing, not in order to accommodate Eddie.
Trossard was fit. Spent most of the game warming up. Why not play Jesus through the middle and Leo wide left?
There is always someone that will dig out some negative stuff even after an impressive 4:0 win. I thought Eddie was good today, let’s support our players.
We were lucky. We should have won by 5 or 7. Havertz doesn’t add anything. Eddie is not good enough. Vieira is lightweight. Raya’s distribution was poor. We are crap.
Spot on Mike_14
Proud of the team today for letting Kai take the second penalty and how they are all behind him!
On a more serious note, think the refereeing in our game was bad, did you see the spuds/lpool farce. The PGMOL have already come out and apologised for ruling the first Lpool goal offside when it wasn’t.
How can they keep fucking up like this? They are meant to be professionals? My mum could do a better job!
That even passed the eye test as soon as I saw it on first replay without the line. You could see the Spud players leg sticking out and playing Diaz onside.
But I’ll take the Happy Invincibles Day! Thanks to the referring cunt!(or is it Coontz as in David Coontz)
Lee Dixon on the NBC commentary couldn’t figure it out, based on the cut of the grass, even with a still picture. Me too. (They never showed the lines,) He wasn’t thrilled by the red card either. (Me neither.)
Official word is in. VAR fucked up. Did the check and sent back “check complete” when they proved it wasn’t offside…. Apparently Captain Cockwomble was VAR with Mr Cockup assisting.
First red card possibly arguable. Second was a fucking joke.
Even with all that, it still required a last minute own goal to get sp*rs the points….
I don’t believe in officiating conspiracies, but if there’s one manager PGMOL truly hates, it’s Klopp. (It used to be Wenger.)
Darren England was the VAR. No need to speak more
The drum I’ve been banging on about since the start of last season is the officiating standards in the premier league. Just abysmal. Every fan of every team is outraged every week by the incompetence on display by the ‘pro’ refs who ‘deserve respect.’ Respect is earned. The celebrity ref culture that the media has helped spawn isn’t helping either. The only explanation here is that the bad officiating is by design to keep tongues wagging all week.
in any line of work, if you are as incompetent as the PGMOL refs you would be sacked, yet they are not. So there is another explanation as to why they continue to ref games. Dramatic difference in quality between CL refs and PL refs.