Arsenal visit Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, chasing victory with a vastly different squad to what took their last win in 2020 during an FA Cup tie on the south coast.
Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah claimed last Arsenal win over Bournemouth
Mikel Arteta takes his Arsenal side to Bournemouth on Saturday, August 20, trying to keep an unbeaten start to the Premier League going. The Gunners and Manchester City are the only teams to boast 100% starts to the season, while the Cherries have one win and a loss.
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Avoiding a defeat at Dean Court this weekend would also take Arsenal’s unbeaten run over Bournemouth to six games in all competitions. They drew 1-1 in their last top-flight fixture in 2019, while the Cherries claimed their only win over the Gunners in 12 matches in 2018.
The 1-1 draw in December 2019 was additionally Arteta’s first game as Arsenal head coach after replacing Unai Emery. While the sole FA Cup tie contested between the north London outfit and Bournemouth in January 2020 returned his third win in eight games at the helm.
Arsenal took the lead just five minutes into their FA Cup fourth-round trip to Bournemouth after Bukayo Saka scored past Mark Travers. Eddie Nketiah soon doubled the margin on 26 minutes, and set his squad on course to progress in a tournament they would go on to win.
But Emiliano Martinez would not register a clean sheet on the south coast as Sam Surridge scored past the Argentine in second-half stoppage-time. The goalkeeper was Arteta’s first-choice in the FA Cup in 2020, before leaving the Emirates Stadium for Aston Villa for £17m.
Emiliano Martinez (GK): Denied a clean sheet in last Arsenal win over Bournemouth
Arteta used Martinez in all six of Arsenal’s FA Cup ties on route to winning the tournament in 2020. He would also only concede three goals and kept three clean sheets during wins over Leeds United, Portsmouth and Manchester City in a 2-0 semi-final result at Wembley.
The Gunners’ 2-1 win over Chelsea in the final would be the second to last of the 29-year-old’s 38 games for the club in all competitions. Martinez has since enjoyed 77 games with Aston Villa as the Birmingham natives’ No.1, taking 26 clean sheets to 98 goals conceded.
Hector Bellerin (RB): Captained Gunners to club’s last win over Bournemouth
Hector Bellerin captained Arteta’s team to Arsenal’s last win over Bournemouth in January 2020. The right-back had recently returned from a nine-month lay-off following surgery on a ruptured ACL. But the Spaniard would struggle to re-establish himself as the first-choice.
After a bit-part 2020/21 campaign, Arteta then loaned Bellerin to Real Betis for a season. It proved beneficial as the 27-year-old – with 239 games for the Gunners – featured 32 times in all competitions. Now, Estadio Deportivo note he is keen to finalise a permanent switch.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos (CB): Former £17.5m Arsenal man now at Olympiacos
Emery bought Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund for £17.5m in July 2018 after replacing Arsene Wenger in charge at Arsenal. The Greece defender would amass 69 appearances for the Premier League side before Arteta would release him in January 2021.
Arteta tore up Sokratis’ contract after freezing the centre-half out of his plans that season. He had not made a single appearance in 2020/21, before securing a free transfer to Greek giants Olympiacos – where the 34-year-old remains today under contract until June 2023.
Shkodran Mustafi (CB): Arteta released German in January 2021 for Schalke switch
Like with Sokratis, the January 2021 transfer window saw Arteta release his other starting centre-back from Arsenal’s last win over Bournemouth in Shkodran Mustafi. The Gunners let the German leave north London to join Schalke, but he only enjoyed five months there.
Schalke elected against extending the defender’s six-month contract after their relegation to the second-tier. Mustafi, instead, joined Levante after two months as a free agent, and remains with the La Liga 2 outfit today after enduring relegation from La Liga last season.
Bukayo Saka (LB): Winger broke the deadlock in makeshift defensive role
Saka broke the deadlock for Arsenal in their last win over Bournemouth while featuring as a makeshift left-back. Kieran Tierney missed the FA Cup encounter after he had dislocated his shoulder, forcing Arteta to move who has become the Gunners’ talisman into defence.
Tactics afforded Saka plenty of chances to break forward up the channel with Granit Xhaka sitting into the full-back areas. The England international also showed great composure to flash the ball past Travers for one of the 20-year-old’s 23 Gunners goals across 133 games.
Matteo Guendouzi (CDM): Midfielder now at Marseille after summer 2022 move
Matteo Guendouzi had a quiet afternoon on the south coast after earning a starting role in the FA Cup fourth-round encounter. It also proved to be just one of his 12 appearances for Arteta, before joining Marseille in a loan deal they made permanent this summer for £9m.
Granit Xhaka (CDM): Swiss star switched with Saka with key role in FA Cup clash
Xhaka offered a key role in Arsenal’s last win over Bournemouth after switching roles with Saka when the makeshift full-back advanced. The Swiss star was also instrumental when in possession, pulling the strings from the engine room to establish the Gunners’ dominance.
Nicolas Pepe (RW): Winger proved wasteful in January 2020 Dean Court encounter
Nicolas Pepe proved wasteful in the Gunners’ encounter with the Cherries in January 2020. He enjoyed a hatful of chances to impose his presence on proceedings, but the Ivory Coast ace struggled to make his opportunities count. Now, Goal note Arteta is ‘desperate’ to sell.
Joe Willock (CAM): Star of last Arsenal win over Bournemouth now at Newcastle
Joe Willock was one of Arsenal’s real stars of the show in their last win over Bournemouth. The midfielder shone at the age of 20, moving around the pitch to find pockets of space in between the Cherries’ defence and midfield, making crucial tackles and driving forward.
He was unable to make his chances count to score, but provided a key pass in the lead up to Saka striking the net. Yet despite impressing, Arteta seldom gave Willock further games before a loan move to Newcastle United they made permanent for £25m in August 2021.
Gabriel Martinelli (LW): Brazilian gave Adam Smith nightmares in FA Cup tie
Gabriel Martinelli gave Adam Smith nightmares whilst Arsenal beat Bournemouth in the FA Cup in January 2020. The Brazilian relentlessly ran at the Cherries defender, who often did not know if it were best to get touch-tight or mark the space the forward sought to attack.
Eddie Nketiah (ST): Scorer in last Arsenal win over Bournemouth now their No.14
Nketiah defended from the front after relentlessly taking possession from Bournemouth’s midfielders in Arsenal’s last win over the Cherries. His pressing caused the south coast side a myriad of issues, and he showed great awareness to peel away for an easy finish, as well.
Cup ties have so far returned 13 of Nketiah’s 23 goals for Arsenal over 94 games across all competitions. He is also yet to get off the mark in the Premier League this season, having only played 13 minutes as Gabriel Jesus’ understudy despite being handed the No.14 shirt.
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