Bournemouth scored twice in the second half to seal the win

Bournemouth come from behind to stun Arsenal 1-2

Arsenal’s hopes of building momentum before their crucial Champions League tie with Paris St-Germain in midweek were hit as Bournemouth came from behind to win at Emirates Stadium and boost their own European ambitions.

The Gunners head to France on Wednesday looking to overturn a 1-0 loss in the first leg and reach the final of Europe’s premier club competition.

Mikel Arteta resisted the opportunity to rest his key players for the game but despite naming a strong Arsenal side against the Cherries, they were undone by a second-half fightback by the visitors.

Declan Rice had marked his 100th appearance for the Gunners with the opener in the first half, rounding Kepa in the Bournemouth goal before firing in.

But the visitors were always in the game and, after missing some decent chances in the first half, they turned the game on its head after the break.

First, Dean Huijsen equalised in the 67th minute when he headed in from Antoine Semenyo’s long throw.

The visitors then took the lead eight minutes later as Evanilson bundled in from a corner to seal a first-ever win at the Emirates for Bournemouth.

Arsenal remain second despite the loss but third-placed Manchester City are just three points behind.

Meanwhile, the win for Bournemouth boosted their hopes of securing European football next season as they move up to eighth.

Iraola’s changes spark second-half fightback

This is a result that will live long in the memory of Bournemouth fans and one that keeps alive their hopes of playing European football next season.

Bournemouth have been in the equation for much of the season but a run of just one win in their nine games prior to the trip to Emirates Stadium suggested their challenge was falling away.

But this win will give them much-needed confidence, sparked by Andoni Iraola’s smart use of substitutes as Semenyo’s introduction turned the game in the visitors’ favour.

Up next for Bournemouth are tricky fixtures against Aston Villa and Manchester City but, having won for the first time at Arsenal, they will have the belief they can go on to get the results they need to finish inside the top eight.

Set-pieces are Arsenal’s undoing

Europe is very much the focus for Arsenal as they look to win the Champions League for the first time.

But they face a difficult task after losing the first leg of their semi-final to PSG last week, meaning they will have to produce one of their biggest performances in recent years at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

But this was far from ideal preparation for that as, despite Arteta opting to play all his key players, the Gunners were not at their best and they dropped points for the second successive Premier League game.

Arsenal had been in control in the first half, if not completely comfortable, but when Rice gave them the lead 11 minutes before the break, the home fans would have hoped their side would kick on to add further goals.

But that failed to happen and instead momentum swung Bournemouth’s way in the second half.

The Gunners are usually strong at both scoring from and defending set-pieces but they were poor on both fronts on Saturday as they conceded twice from such instances for the first time since December 2023.

They didn’t defend either goals well enough as Huijsen was first to the long throw for the opener, while Evanilson got the better of Martin Odegaard for the winner.

There was still time for Arsenal to rescue something from the game but the lack of a striker with killer instinct showed as they didn’t attempt a shot on goal after Bournemouth’s double.