the short fuse 
04-05-2024 14:58
04-05-2024 14:58
Arsenal 3 - Bournemouth 0: taking care of business
Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 win over Bournemouth to keep the pressure on Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table. The Gunners dominated the first half but only managed one goal from it but put the game away in the 70th minute through Leandro Trossard. Declan Rice added a third deep into added time.
The Gunners fired 16 shots in the opening 45 minutes, the most by any club in a half of Premier League football this season. For almost the entire half, it looked as if it might be one of those days. Mark Travers made several impressive saves and the Bournemouth defense put in multiple saving blocks.
Right before halftime, however, Kai Havertz changed that. He made an excellent run forward, touched the ball around a sprawling Travers, and was caught on his back leg for his troubles. David Coote called a penalty on the pitch, and once given, the penalty was never getting chalked off by VAR. Bukayo Saka calmly converted.
For me, there isn’t all that much to discuss. It’s not a controversial penalty award. In slow motion, you can see that Kai Havertz keeps his trailing leg low, but there is no question that Travers makes contact with him. Nor does Havertz move towards the keeper, seeking contact. In real time, it’s bang-bang and a definite foul. Slowing it down makes it look as if there is a fringe case for not giving the foul, but really, that’s grasping at straws.
And as I said above, once given on the pitch, there is no way VAR should be overturning it. If it wasn’t given on the pitch, there’s a 50-50 chance it’s given by VAR, too. The contact by Travers on Havertz is undeniable.
Even if you want to say Arsenal were a bit lucky to get that call, they were owed one from earlier in the half. Ryan Christie came over the ball, studs up, into Bukayo Saka’s knee, bloodying the winger’s leg. It was as textbook of a red card tackle as you’ll ever see, and David Coote didn’t even show a yellow. Nor did VAR get involved.
That brings the count to three times in the last four matches that Arsenal players have been on the receiving end of studs up, high challenges. All three should have been red cards. None of them were. It’s mind-boggling. Is it really going to take a significant injury before the PGMOL and the Premier League get serious about dangerous challenges? Don’t worry, though. The prominent football media is on the case...of Ben White’s corner kick behavior.
Fortunately, Arsenal made sure it didn’t matter. As much as it looked like Bournemouth got a bit of a foothold in the second half, Arsenal were still firmly in control of the match. The Cherries were able to get runners around the outside and somewhat in behind, but Arsenal’s recovery defense was excellent. The Gunners held the visitors to two shots on target all match and just 0.6 xG, while racking up 9 shots on target and 3.6 xG of their own.
The Gunners got their insurance goal through Leandro Trossard. Declan Rice, who had started to make a run into the area, won the race to a loose ball at the top of the box. It looked as if he’d overran it and / or it hadn’t bounced kindly for him, but he stretched his foot back and flicked it to Trossard. The Belgian made no mistake, firing it back across the face of goal and into the far corner.
Bournemouth thought they’d pulled one back minutes later, but it was immediately ruled out on the pitch by David Coote for a foul on David Raya. A lengthy VAR review confirmed the call on the field. It was the correct VAR decision, but the call on the field was close.
I’m of two minds about it. Dominic Solanke definitely bumps into David Raya and hooks his arm slightly in an attempt to put him off claiming the ball. It’s the kind of call and protection that goalkeepers routinely get. You even see that foul called elsewhere on the pitch when players try to subtly nudge an opponent off the spot before an aerial challenge. At the same time, it’s a bit soft. It’s the kind of decision we’d be unhappy if it went against Arsenal. Andoni Iraola wanted a penalty for a shirt pull by William Saliba earlier in the sequence, but there was nothing in it.
The takeaway from both the Havertz penalty and the Solanke foul call that kept a goal off the board is that most calls in a game can go either way. There really aren’t many black and white moments, the challenge on Saka notwithstanding, which for me was a clear red card. Most of us, myself included, would do well to remember that just because you have a legitimate gripe with a referee decision doesn’t mean it is per se the wrong one.
I think the weight of both decisions, even if either could have gone the other way, was in Arsenal’s favor. And in both cases, VAR functioned correctly. There wasn’t nearly enough to constitute “clear and obvious error” in either call, which meant the call on the field stood.
That’s a whole lot of digital ink for two VAR reviews that really weren’t the story of the match. The match wasn’t decided by Arsenal getting the benefit of 50-50 calls. The Gunners earned their win. They dominated the match and were by far the better of the two teams on the afternoon. Martin Ødegaard pulled the string, especially in the first half. Bukayo Saka was a handful all match. Takehiro Tomiyasu did really well on three (I think) occasions to head the ball back across the face at the far post.
The Gunners easily could have had two or three more goals had anybody been running through on those chances. Travers and the Bournemouth defense were heroic for all but the penalty kick in the first half. Gabriel Martinelli got in behind but couldn’t manage a shot from the breakaway. Gabriel blasted a fantastic volley into the top corner, but Kai Havertz was a fraction offside in the build up.
The Gunners got an “oh by the way” third goal deep in added time. Gabriel Jesus did well coming off the right flank, dribbling around one man and finding Declan Rice cutting through the middle. It looked as if Rice had dribbled himself off the angle, but he blasted his shot underneath and through Travers for his 7th goal in the PL this year.
Rice was named Man of the Match. You can’t really argue with giving it to him — a goal and an assist on top of his usual midfield domination. But the award just as easily could have gone to Kai Havertz or William Saliba. Havertz was a monster up top, putting in his best hold-up performance of the season and continuing his physical, hard-working play. After a run of matches where Gabriel looked the better of the Arsenal CB pair, William Saliba stepped back to the forefront. Gabriel had a shaky first half. Saliba was outstanding.
The clean sheet clinches the Premier League Golden Glove award for David Raya, with a massive assist to Arsenal’s stingy defense. Remember, Raya hasn’t played in 6 Premier League matches this season — 4 to start the season when he Aaron Ramsdale was picked ahead of him and 2 against his parent club, Brentford.
Arsenal are four clear of Manchester City with two to play — at Manchester United and home to Everton on the last day of the season. City have four matches remaining — Wolves, at Fulham, at Tottenham, home to West Ham on the last day of the season. If City drop points, the title shifts back to Arsenal’s hands. The Gunners are doing all they can.
The Gunners fired 16 shots in the opening 45 minutes, the most by any club in a half of Premier League football this season. For almost the entire half, it looked as if it might be one of those days. Mark Travers made several impressive saves and the Bournemouth defense put in multiple saving blocks.
Right before halftime, however, Kai Havertz changed that. He made an excellent run forward, touched the ball around a sprawling Travers, and was caught on his back leg for his troubles. David Coote called a penalty on the pitch, and once given, the penalty was never getting chalked off by VAR. Bukayo Saka calmly converted.
For me, there isn’t all that much to discuss. It’s not a controversial penalty award. In slow motion, you can see that Kai Havertz keeps his trailing leg low, but there is no question that Travers makes contact with him. Nor does Havertz move towards the keeper, seeking contact. In real time, it’s bang-bang and a definite foul. Slowing it down makes it look as if there is a fringe case for not giving the foul, but really, that’s grasping at straws.
And as I said above, once given on the pitch, there is no way VAR should be overturning it. If it wasn’t given on the pitch, there’s a 50-50 chance it’s given by VAR, too. The contact by Travers on Havertz is undeniable.
Even if you want to say Arsenal were a bit lucky to get that call, they were owed one from earlier in the half. Ryan Christie came over the ball, studs up, into Bukayo Saka’s knee, bloodying the winger’s leg. It was as textbook of a red card tackle as you’ll ever see, and David Coote didn’t even show a yellow. Nor did VAR get involved.
That brings the count to three times in the last four matches that Arsenal players have been on the receiving end of studs up, high challenges. All three should have been red cards. None of them were. It’s mind-boggling. Is it really going to take a significant injury before the PGMOL and the Premier League get serious about dangerous challenges? Don’t worry, though. The prominent football media is on the case...of Ben White’s corner kick behavior.
Fortunately, Arsenal made sure it didn’t matter. As much as it looked like Bournemouth got a bit of a foothold in the second half, Arsenal were still firmly in control of the match. The Cherries were able to get runners around the outside and somewhat in behind, but Arsenal’s recovery defense was excellent. The Gunners held the visitors to two shots on target all match and just 0.6 xG, while racking up 9 shots on target and 3.6 xG of their own.
The Gunners got their insurance goal through Leandro Trossard. Declan Rice, who had started to make a run into the area, won the race to a loose ball at the top of the box. It looked as if he’d overran it and / or it hadn’t bounced kindly for him, but he stretched his foot back and flicked it to Trossard. The Belgian made no mistake, firing it back across the face of goal and into the far corner.
Bournemouth thought they’d pulled one back minutes later, but it was immediately ruled out on the pitch by David Coote for a foul on David Raya. A lengthy VAR review confirmed the call on the field. It was the correct VAR decision, but the call on the field was close.
I’m of two minds about it. Dominic Solanke definitely bumps into David Raya and hooks his arm slightly in an attempt to put him off claiming the ball. It’s the kind of call and protection that goalkeepers routinely get. You even see that foul called elsewhere on the pitch when players try to subtly nudge an opponent off the spot before an aerial challenge. At the same time, it’s a bit soft. It’s the kind of decision we’d be unhappy if it went against Arsenal. Andoni Iraola wanted a penalty for a shirt pull by William Saliba earlier in the sequence, but there was nothing in it.
The takeaway from both the Havertz penalty and the Solanke foul call that kept a goal off the board is that most calls in a game can go either way. There really aren’t many black and white moments, the challenge on Saka notwithstanding, which for me was a clear red card. Most of us, myself included, would do well to remember that just because you have a legitimate gripe with a referee decision doesn’t mean it is per se the wrong one.
I think the weight of both decisions, even if either could have gone the other way, was in Arsenal’s favor. And in both cases, VAR functioned correctly. There wasn’t nearly enough to constitute “clear and obvious error” in either call, which meant the call on the field stood.
That’s a whole lot of digital ink for two VAR reviews that really weren’t the story of the match. The match wasn’t decided by Arsenal getting the benefit of 50-50 calls. The Gunners earned their win. They dominated the match and were by far the better of the two teams on the afternoon. Martin Ødegaard pulled the string, especially in the first half. Bukayo Saka was a handful all match. Takehiro Tomiyasu did really well on three (I think) occasions to head the ball back across the face at the far post.
The Gunners easily could have had two or three more goals had anybody been running through on those chances. Travers and the Bournemouth defense were heroic for all but the penalty kick in the first half. Gabriel Martinelli got in behind but couldn’t manage a shot from the breakaway. Gabriel blasted a fantastic volley into the top corner, but Kai Havertz was a fraction offside in the build up.
The Gunners got an “oh by the way” third goal deep in added time. Gabriel Jesus did well coming off the right flank, dribbling around one man and finding Declan Rice cutting through the middle. It looked as if Rice had dribbled himself off the angle, but he blasted his shot underneath and through Travers for his 7th goal in the PL this year.
Rice was named Man of the Match. You can’t really argue with giving it to him — a goal and an assist on top of his usual midfield domination. But the award just as easily could have gone to Kai Havertz or William Saliba. Havertz was a monster up top, putting in his best hold-up performance of the season and continuing his physical, hard-working play. After a run of matches where Gabriel looked the better of the Arsenal CB pair, William Saliba stepped back to the forefront. Gabriel had a shaky first half. Saliba was outstanding.
The clean sheet clinches the Premier League Golden Glove award for David Raya, with a massive assist to Arsenal’s stingy defense. Remember, Raya hasn’t played in 6 Premier League matches this season — 4 to start the season when he Aaron Ramsdale was picked ahead of him and 2 against his parent club, Brentford.
Arsenal are four clear of Manchester City with two to play — at Manchester United and home to Everton on the last day of the season. City have four matches remaining — Wolves, at Fulham, at Tottenham, home to West Ham on the last day of the season. If City drop points, the title shifts back to Arsenal’s hands. The Gunners are doing all they can.