Midfielder was Arsenal’s best player against Bournemouth yesterday | OneFootball

Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the campaign with a 2-0 loss at Bournemouth.

The Gunners went into the Premier League game as favourites, but they failed to create any clear-cut chances in the early minutes.

Arsenal went a man down in the 30th minute after William Saliba was sent off for denying Evanilson a clear scoring opportunity. Leandro Trossard was partly responsible after a poor back pass.

Gabriel Martinelli squandered a golden opportunity to score in a one-on-one situation shortly after the hour mark. It proved costly, with Ryan Christie opening the scoring a few minutes later.

The Cherries eventually doubled the lead from the penalty spot. Jakub Kiwior gifted the spot kick with a half-cooked back pass towards David Raya, who ended up fouling Evanilson.

Arsenal had a forgettable evening at the Vitality Stadium, but Declan Rice had a good individual outing.

The England international won 10 out of 11 duels contested alongside all three of his dribbles.

The 25-year-old had 68 touches with a pass accuracy of 87 percent. He made seven recoveries with two chances created.

Gabriel Magalhaes and Mikel Merino also produced relatively good performances.

Raheem Sterling was probably Arsenal’s best attacking threat in the first 30 minutes, but was surprisingly sacrificed after Saliba’s sending off which changed the complexion of the game.

Arsenal remain third in the table after the loss on the south coast, but they could drop to fourth on goal difference if Chelsea defeat Liverpool at Anfield.

The gap to the top could extend to four points if Liverpool win. Manchester City also have the chance to create a three-point lead over them.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Fotmob.com.