By Walter Broeckx
A big surprise at right back with Jenkinson making his first start in the PL in a long, long time. Welcome back you Gunner/Gooner. A few absentees like Xhaka and Maitland-Niles who were more or les expected to be involved. I don’t know if this is down to an injury or illness. Koscielny also starting so a lot of rotation from the manager. Not surprisingly with 4 matches in 10 days.
Arsenal starting with : Leno, Jenkinson, Sokratis, Koscielny, Monreal, Kolasinac, Guendouzi, Torreira, Ozil, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang
On the beach: Cech, Mustafi, Elneny, Iwobi, Suarez, Ramsey, Lacazette
Aubameyang almost first on a backpass within the first minute but the keeper got their first. Kolasinac wins the ball in midfield at the side line and he plays it to Mkhitaryan and then gets it back. He then pushes it to Özil who was completely unmarked and he typically for him lobbed the keeper by stamping the ball in the turf and then over the keeper. GOAL! 1-0 to The Arsenal after 4 minutes.
My stream going down now so I miss a part of the match. Sorry for not being able to keep you up to date. After some 18 minutes the stream is back and a big chance for Bournemouth but first Leno and then Koscielny with a great block to deny the visitors an equaliser. Arsenal having a lot of the ball but not really getting near the Bournemouth penalty area. The tempo a bit too slow I think to really trouble Bournemouth. But then a bad mistake from a Bournemouth defender. He plays a square ball that is intercepted by Mkhitaryan. He picks out Özil on the right and Özil is happy to provide an assist for Mkhitaryan by playing it back in his feet and our number 7 makes no mistake. GOAL!! 2-0 to The Arsenal after 27 minutes.
Then Guendouzi is tripped just outside the penalty area but the ref waves play on and an easy tap in follows for Bournemouth. Now that is the risk of trying to play the ball in front of your own penalty area. If it was a foul or not you just don’t have to take such a risk. 2-1 after 30 minutes. How to shoot yourself in the foot…..
King then runs in to Koscielny hoping to win a penalty but the ref gives a foul against King and a yellow card. Arsenal keep on playing the russian roulette game around their own penalty area…. Sokratis with a wild tackle and getting a deserved yellow card for it. My stream going down again. But coming up enough to see a clear penalty foul on an Arsenal player not given after a corner. A striker was clearly being held and brought down. 2 minutes of extra time is indicated. No more score and we go in with a 2-1 advantage. All the earlier good work almost washed away with our stupid playing the ball around our own penalty area and giving a goal away. And that at a moment when goal difference can be very important for 4th place.
Özil wins a free kick that is taken indirectly and Arsenal set up an attack over Özil and Mkhitaryan. Mkhitaryan gives a low cross towards Koscielny who shoots against the hand of a defender but the ball goes in goal from the post. Aubameyang makes sure that it is clear for everyone but I think it was already in from Kos his effort. GOAL!!! 3-1 to The Arsenal after 47 minutes.
Guendouzi again being a bit overambitous loses the ball but Leno with a good save on the low shot. After a short taken corner Torreira has a shot from just outside the penalty area but well over. Confirmation that it was Koscielny who scored the goal. Arsenal keep on playing the dangerous game in front of our own penalty area. Özil releases Aubameyang who gives it back to Özil but somehow the keeper manages to keep the ball out or was it the post? It was the goalpost who denied his second goal of the day. Aubameyang with a shooting chance but a defender can block the shot. A dipping (diverted?) shot from Bournemouth crashes against the crossbar with Leno not being able to reach it but it bounces to safety for Arsenal. After 56 minutes Iwobi comes on for Kolasinac.
Mkhitaryan runs with the ball from our own penalty area and he sees Aubameyang in space. Auba rounds the keeper and simply puts the ball in the net. GOAL!!!! 4-1 to The Arsenal after 59 minutes. That’s more like it.
Arsenal now completely in control and Özil with a low cross to Iwobi but he misses the target. After 63 minutes Mkhitaryan goes off and Lacazette comes on. Guendouzi to Lacazette but the keeper can save his shot for a corner. Leno has to turn a shot over his crossbar. Torreira gets a rather soft yellow card for two fouls within seconds after he had been fouled first for the first foul.
After 71 minutes Aubameyang goess off and Suarez enters the field. We have seemed to get a bit out of our rhythm with the changes and Bournemouth creaps a bit in the match again. Still 4-1 after 75 minutes.
Daniels gets a yellow card for a strong challenge on Torreira just outside the penalty area. Lacazette to take it and GOAL!!!!! 5-1 to The Arsenal after 77 minutes. Expertly taken free kick that finishes in the bottom corner!
That was the 5th consecutive match in the Emirates in the PL in which he scored. Özil with a cross to Lacazette who takes it first time but it went over. Would have been some goal…. Koscielny had to be attentive to prevent a cross turning in to a dangerous ball. Suarez making himself noticed with a few good runs and good battling. Koscielny then with a sliding tackle winning the ball to stop a Bournemouth counter but the striker hits his knee and he is in some serious pain. Bummer, please not an injury to the skipper. Kos comes back on but not being very comfortable.
2 minutes of extra time. I don’t think Bournemouth get a free kick and a corner but can’t score another goal.
Arsenal win in a good way. The goal from Bournmouth should have been not conceded but for the rest Özil showed once again what a great player he is and how valuable he can be when he is used properly.
OT or perhaps on topic !! Giroud comes on at Chelsea and heads his firts touch towards the Spuds goal…..Trippier taps it towards goal & Loris is so close that it goes past him into the net!! A classic own goal to bottle yet another attempt at the League Title.
The Tinies now only four points ahead of us – extra incentive for Saturday (as if any is necessary)
Thanks for the report, Walter. Like you, I had streaming issues and missed most of the match! An important 3 points going into Saturday’s Derby and 4 goals to the good in GD which seems will be a factor in sorting places. Sorry to hear they were so careless with the ball outside their own penalty area. Hope it can be coached out of them but some in the squad just don’t seem to have the natural awareness their position requires. Maybe it’s a bit unfair to carp after a 5-1 drubbing but that kind of play will be punished by the better squads. Looking forward to the NLD as AFC seem to be in good form, even with all the rotation. Spurs are in a rough patch but still defend well. COYG!
Good work at commentating and cheering guys. I was on the road.
Not nice we didn’t keep the clean sheet, nice for the +4 on goal difference.
Looking at headlines at World Football. We win 5:1, no comment. Liverpool win 5:0, and “Liverpool run riot …”.
WOO HOO , HOO ! Well done the lads ! A very good ,morale boosting win , with view to this weekend’s NLD .
Was watching the snooze fest that was the Chelski /Spuds game . It only became a joy with that own goal! Well done OG .
Let us hope that our fortunes continue on and upwards . Am looking eagerly for St.Totteringham’s Day this year . How I’ve missed it the last two years!
Up the Gunners !
I am looking forward to the NLD at the weekend. You just know everybody will be betting on the Tiny Totts taking the points so anything we take out of it will be a bonus. And, we know even if we get a result, it will be all about that how well or poorly they will have done. You have to think that they are getting a little nervous about their run of results. Keep the game tight for the first half and who knows?
They will have to do it all by themselves . In all probablility they won’t have the service of Mike Dean !
And we have to keep and pass the ball around in their half ! But another own goal would be most welcome !