Arsenal stays in title contention with win over Bournemouth.
Arsenal won the 36th round of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) season 3-0 against Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium in London, England, on Thursday (April 4).
Arsenal (83 points) consolidated its lead at the top of the league with the win. They extended their lead over second-place Manchester City (79 points), who have played two games less, to four points. Bournemouth (48 points) remained in 10th place in the league with the loss.
The home team, Arsenal, lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. The front three of Xhaka, Kai Havertz, and Leandro Trosar formed a front three, with Martin Ødegaard, Thomas Partey, and Declan Rice in the middle. In defense, Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Takehiro Tomiyasu started. David Raya was in goal.
The visitors Bournemouth lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Dominic Solanke started up front, followed by Justin Kluivert, Ryan Christie, and Anthony Semenyo. Lewis Cook and Alex Scott partnered in the back three. The back four was made up of Dango Watara, Marcos Senesi, Ilya Zavarni, and Adam Smith. Mark Travers wore the goalkeeping gloves.
Arsenal came out strong in the first half, pushing Bournemouth hard and dominating the attack. In the fifth minute, a counterattack led to a breakaway by Xhaka, but his last-ditch effort from inside the box hit the side netting. In the eighth minute, Xhaka got on the end of an attack that started with a pass from Ödegaard, but his shot was blocked by Senesi. In the 14th minute, Haberz received a long ball in the box but his shot was saved by Travers.
Bournemouth took their chances on the counter-attack. In the 18th minute, Magalhaes lost a tussle with Solanke to create a threatening attacking opportunity. Solanke advanced towards the Arsenal goal, but Saliba’s quick reaction time prevented him from getting a shot on target.
After another fruitless attack, Arsenal had a chance on the stroke of half-time. In the 42nd minute, a penalty kick was awarded after Haberz was tripped by Travers’ leg as he broke 카지노사이트 into the Bournemouth box. After a VAR review, the decision didn’t change. Xhaka stepped up to take the spot kick and finished neatly to give Arsenal the lead. The first half ended with a 1-0 lead for Arsenal.
The hosts were the first to take advantage in the second half, surviving defensive pressure to keep the ball in the fourth minute after Habertz won the ball at the top of the box. Saka took the pass and finished with a direct shot, but it was straight at the keeper. In the seventh minute of the second half, Habertz tried his luck with a turnover after a pass from Pati, but his shot was saved by the keeper. In the ninth minute of stoppage time, Habertz advanced on a pass from Ödegaard and sent a sharp cross towards Sakho, who was breaking through from the right, but a defender tackled him before his foot could touch the ball.
Bournemouth pushed for an equalizer. In the 18th minute of the second half, a free kick from the front of the Arsenal penalty area was taken by Kluivert, who stepped up to take the kick, but his shot floated over the bar.
Arsenal widened the gap with a further goal. In the 25th minute, Ödegaard’s pass in front of the Bournemouth box was cleared off the line by Rice, who played it to Troosar on the left. Trosar found the corner of the Bournemouth goal with a direct shot that rattled the net.
Arsenal drove a wedge into the game in second-half stoppage time. Rice found the back of the net with a powerful shot from the right side of the opposition penalty box.
The game ended with a 3-0 victory for Arsenal.