Arsenal's streak of good fortune had to end eventually. Mikel Arteta's team finally relinquished their unbeaten start to the season after William Saliba was sent off – their third red card in the first eight matches – as Bournemouth celebrated a notable victory thanks to goals from substitutes Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert. It was a night to remember for their manager, Andoni Iraola, who saw his dynamic team secure their first win over a top-half side since defeating Manchester United in December. The victory against Arteta, who grew up playing for the same youth team in San Sebastián, made it even sweeter. However, with Bukayo Saka not making the trip to the south coast, Arsenal appeared lacking in creativity even before Saliba's red card shifted the momentum of the game.

Arteta acknowledged before kick-off that there was no point pushing Saka, with matches against Shakhtar Donetsk and Liverpool on the horizon after he returned early from England duty due to a hamstring injury. This meant Raheem Sterling was retained from the win over Southampton before the international break, and Mikel Merino made his first start in midfield. There was also a timely return for Ben White in defense, while Bournemouth made three changes from their disappointing defeat to Leicester last time out. Iraola recognized this week that, while their expected goals data suggested they should be fourth in the table, his players needed to become a more efficient team. They made their intentions clear from the start, with Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier deployed in attacking roles supporting the center-forward Evanilson, and Riccardo Calafiori had to clear a dangerous early free-kick from Lewis Cook.

A clever touch from Sterling following another Bournemouth corner almost created Arsenal's first opportunity, but Leandro Trossard couldn't quite break free. David Raya was fortunate that his wayward pass to Scott didn't result in a goal as Antoine Semenyo blazed over from distance. Iraola and Arteta spent the majority of the first half an hour urging their teams from the edge of their technical areas as both sides canceled each other out in a midfield battle. However, the game suddenly came alive when Trossard inadvertently played the ball over his own defense and Saliba brought down Evanilson as the Brazilian raced through on goal. A red card seemed inevitable, although referee Robert Jones initially only cautioned the France defender. With PGMOL chief Howard Webb watching from the stands, VAR intervened, and Saliba was sent off. He will now miss the visit of Liverpool to the Emirates next Sunday.

Merino came close to finding a breakthrough after good work from Sterling before the England forward was sacrificed for Jakub Kiwior to strengthen the defense. Semenyo had already forced Raya into a good save at his near post by then, and Tavernier should have opened the scoring from his cross after Raya initially fumbled before recovering to block the shot. Meanwhile, Arsenal's supporters expressed their discontent with several chants directed at Webb and other perceived injustices. Semenyo should have done better with a golden chance that fell to him 90 seconds after the restart following a clever backheel from Milos Kerkez. But having already played the best part of 90 minutes with 10 men in draws against Brighton and Manchester City earlier this season, Arsenal again showed they are not easy to break down even in the absence of Saliba at the heart of their defense.

Any breakthrough seemed destined to come down Arsenal's right side as Dango Ouattara caused White continual problems. So it was a surprise to see him make way as Iraola made three changes just after the hour mark, while Gabriel Martinelli almost had an instant impact off the bench when his cross was cleared at the last minute by Marcos Senesi. Kepa Arrizabalaga's heart must have been in his mouth when he passed the ball straight to Merino, only for the Bournemouth goalkeeper to redeem himself by saving Martinelli's shot. It was from their next attack that Bournemouth finally found what they had been looking for. A clever short corner from Lewis Cook was dummied by Justin Kluivert, allowing Christie to apply the finish with aplomb. Semenyo could have doubled their lead after Arsenal failed to clear another corner but could not direct his shot on target. They didn't have to wait long though, as an underhit backpass from Jakub Kiwior led to Raya bringing down Evanilson inside the area, and Kluivert stepped up from the spot to leave Arsenal to lick their wounds.

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