Arsenal’s 3-2 comeback against Bournemouth was done in a belting fashion yesterday afternoon.
Arsenal had to put on a winning performance today against Bournemouth, and they did it in nail-biting fashion. Trying to hold on to their five point cushion at the top of the Premier League table, the Gunners just snuck through with the victory in the dying moments.
Playing at home in the Emirates, Arsenal were massive favorites to win, but also win by a big margin but that didn’t go to plan as the Gunners had the second-worst start to a match in Premier League history. Philip Billing put the Cherries in front after 9.1 seconds.
After, Arsenal held major possession and had many attempts, but could not find an equaliser. The Gunners went into half-time 1-0 down to relegation-fighting Bournemouth.
The odds turned from bad to worse after Marcos Senesi doubled the Cherries’ lead on the 57′ minute. The Gunners seemed to have dropped points and left the title race wide open.
However, the comeback was on. Five minutes later, Thomas Partey scored at the back post to give Arsenal hope. Then eight minutes after Partey’s goal, Ben White scored from a cross-back post by Reiss Nelson.
The comeback was well & truly alive with 20 minutes to go.
Then, dreams turned into reality. With the last kick of the game off a corner, Reiss Nelson scored and sent the Gunners into a frenzy. The Gunners won 3-2 and kept the lead at the top to five points.
A crazy match with some crazy stats. Here are 10 amazing statistics provided and credit to Yahoo Sport:
1. Arsenal went behind at 00:09 and only went ahead at 96:59.
2. The goal Arsenal conceded was the second-fastest in Premier League history. Only Shane Long (7.6 seconds – Southampton vs Watford, April 2019) was scored quicker than Philip Billing’s on 9.1 seconds.
Goal for Bournemouth – scored by Billing.
🔴 0-1 🍒 (1)
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 4, 2023
3. This was the first time since Arsene Wenger retired that Arsenal fielded an entire starting XI of players that never played under the legendary French coach. The last time Arsenal fielded a team not to make a competitive appearance under Wenger was January 1986 against Aston Villa in the League Cup
4. Arsenal have recovered more points from losing positions (15) than any other team in the Premier League this season.
Just a boyhood Gooner scoring the winner ❤️ pic.twitter.com/LBGTipnffG
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 4, 2023
5. Arteta’s side registered 81% possession on the day. That’s eight percentage points more than the next-most – 4-0 against Everton earlier in the week (73%) possession.
6. The victory was reflective of the balance of chances. Arsenal registered 2.5xG to Bournemouth’s 1.3xG.
7. The hosts registered 30 shots, and nine on target. By contrast, Bournemouth had just four shots, although each of those were on target.
8. Reiss Nelson registered a goal and an assist in his 21-minute cameo. The Hale End graduate has made just three Premier League appearances this season and has notched three goals and two assists in total, averaging a direct contribution every 17 minutes.
Just an Arsenal fan living his dream. What a moment.
Game changer. @ReissNelson9.❤️ pic.twitter.com/jdPgCnB4Zm
— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) March 4, 2023
9. Oleksandr Zinchenko, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka all registered 100 or more touches. Bournemouth’s Billing registered the most touches (42) for Bournemouth.
10. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes completed 168 accurate passes between them. Bournemouth completed 103 accurate passes collectively.
The scenes were massive at the full-time whistle. A unique match with unique stats. What a win for the Arsenal!
