Arsenal Manager, Mikel Arteta
By Dickson Bandera
Arsenal suffered a disappointing 2–1 home defeat to Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, casting a shadow over their momentum ahead of a crucial Champions League semi-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite taking an early lead, the Gunners failed to capitalise on their chances, with manager Mikel Arteta expressing deep frustration at the team’s inability to defend set-pieces and maintain composure.
“We started well and did the most difficult part—scoring the goal,” said Arteta in his post-match interview. “But we didn’t kill it. Then we defended the box really poorly, and Bournemouth punished us.”
Evanilson’s equaliser—allowed after a VAR review—sparked controversy, but Arteta declined to fully criticise the decision. “I’ve just seen a few images and it looks very different to the decision, but they made that decision,” he said.
Arsenal conceded a second goal in the second half, once again from a poorly defended set-piece—an issue that has become a recurring problem.
“We certainly missed the most important thing, which is defending the box. We did it poorly three times and it cost us the points,” Arteta said, admitting his side had also struggled with ball retention.
Arteta acknowledged that the team may be suffering from a lack of freshness, with several players forced to feature despite not being fully fit. With only four days until their Champions League showdown in Paris, the coach urged his squad to turn frustration into fuel.
“We’ve created a lot of rage, anger, frustration and a bad feeling in the tummy,” he said. “Make sure that we use that for Wednesday to have a massive performance in Paris, win the game and be in the final.”
The loss complicates Arsenal’s Premier League run-in, with a top-five finish still not mathematically guaranteed. The team must now regroup quickly ahead of their defining European fixture.
Arteta gave little away on the fitness of key players Jurrien Timber and Martin Ødegaard, both of whom remain doubtful for Wednesday’s match.
The defeat leaves Arsenal fans hoping their team can channel Saturday’s disappointment into a resilient performance on the continental stage.
