Goal-shy Arsenal fail PSG audition against Bournemouth four days before reunion with Donnarumma

By Alessandro Schiavone

Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth

Goals: Rice 34' (A), Huijsen 67' (B), Evanilson 75' (B)

Arsenal messed up their PSG audition after succumbing to a 2-1 home defeat to Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth.

Declan Rice’s first-half opener was cancelled out by a Dean Huijsen header following a long throw-in before Evanilson completed the turnaround with a controversial winner in the second period.

The Gunners are now at serious risk of finishing third in… a two-horse title race with Manchester City trailing Mikel Arteta’s men by only three points with three games to go and an upcoming blockbuster at Liverpool on the horizon.

Many expected Arteta to field a second-string XI ahead of their season-defining trip to Paris on Wednesday.

And with the benefit of hindsight it would have been the wisest thing to do in order to rest key players. Yet the north Londoners can now channel today’s defeat into positive energy in a bid to stun PSG and reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years.

With Man City breathing down their necks they went all-in for the three points in the opening half. Zestful and vigorous in transitions, they were all over the visitors.

Arsenal stuck to the task and Declan Rice tested the Cherries’ waters early on.

Yet if against Real Madrid he found the back of the net twice with a pair of sublime free-kicks, here his end product let him down twice on back-to-back occasions. Before Zabarnyi denied him an open-goal header with a last-ditch clearance.

And it almost came back to haunt the hosts had Evanilson’s header found the target from range minuted later.

One minute after the Brazil star's miss, Belgian attacking midfielder Leandro Trossard robbed Dean Huijsen off the ball before giving it to Gabriel Martinelli. And the only Gabriel not on the treatment table brought a good low save from Chelsea loanee Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Arsenal finally found the breakthrough when Rice made Martin Odegaard’s killer pass count on 34 minutes. Slipped through, the ex-Hammer rounded Kepa before firing home.

David Raya then made a hash of a long clearance with the ball ending up in Evanilson’s feet. Yet the Brazilian’s chip flashed just over.

After the interval, Bukayo Saka had a golden chance to kill off the game only for his curler to fizzle inches wide after leaving Tyler Adams in no-man's land with a feint.

That was a sliding-door moment with no return.

Because moments later Real Madrid target Huijsen headed home from a throw-in before Evanilson flicked home the winner to make it back-to-back losses for the Gunners against the Conference League-chasing Cherries.

Arsenal’s diabolical defending and lack of cutting edge four days before their second appointment with PSG goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma is no laughing matter.