Arsenal dropped three points in the title race in a dismal defeat to Bournemouth.
Visiting captain Ryan Christie found left-back Adrien Truffert, who surged into the space left by Ben White. His cross deflected off William Saliba and fell to the onrushing Eli Junior Kroupi to volley from close range and score his 10th league goal of the season.
Barely a flicker from Andoni Iraola in the dugout in recognition the job was far from over, and Arsenal did find the equalising goal in the 35th minute. Viktor Gyokeres rifled into the left corner from the penalty spot.
Deservedly, the Cherries retook the lead as the hosts were devoid of solutions and courage to break the pressure.
Evanilson flicked the ball into the path of midfielder Alex Scott, who ghosted into the gap left by the Arsenal defence and slotted the ball home with composure to send David Raya the wrong way.
Here are the Arsenal player ratings after they slumped to only their second home defeat of the season:
David Raya - 4
After his heroic shot stopping in the Champions League first leg victory over Sporting Lisbon, a different facet to his game was required.
His distribution from the back lacked the clarity needed to bypass Bournemouth’s setup.
With an ambivalent attitude towards the risk of feeding it short, the sluggishness playing out from the back started from the goalkeeper.
Albeit, it begs the question about who is culpable and whether Mikel Arteta’s plans had been outwitted, particularly in the second half.
Ben White - 4
In Jurrien Timber’s absence, White should be someone quite capable of filling in reliably. However, his performances, either side of the international break when he returned to the England fold, have left a lot to be desired.
He was fixated on the ball and switched off to allow Truffert to run into the space behind him, leading to the opening goal, in a similar fashion to how he was caught out positionally against Sporting Lisbon.
William Saliba - 5
It was a cruel deflection off Saliba for Kroupi to pounce on at the back post for his goal. The Frenchman played confidently on the ball at times while his defensive attributes were rarely tested.
Gabriel - 5
The Brazilian looked willing to set the example in both boxes throughout proceedings. He smashed the ball into Christie to earn the penalty and was almost rewarded for his sporadic forays into the front line.
A couple of decisive interventions to protect Arsenal’s goal to inspire the few instances of defensive solidity his side have possessed for much of Arteta’s tenure.
Myles Lewis-Skelly - 5
It was the academy graduate’s second Premier League start of the season. With Riccardo Calafiori out it seemed enforced, while Piero Hincapie’s return to the squad leaves Skelly’s position unstable for the run-in.
He fended off fellow 19-year-old Rayan, who has a lot of anticipation building around him, and nullified his threat by remaining alert.
Martin Zubimendi - 4
The Spaniard often goes unrecognised for what he brings to the table, but it is equally important to scrutinise his role when Arsenal are faltering.
His consistency and durability are undeniable, but Arsenal’s incisiveness and impetus should stem from Zubimendi as much as their creative sparks. That has dissipated with the caution permeating the side.
Declan Rice - 6
Arsenal’s captain had glimmers of exhibiting a leader’s attitude and taking matters firmly into his own hands. His set-piece deliveries were expectedly pinpoint.
It is his responsibility to lift the players back up and galvanise them. He often does this during games, but many of his teammates are not following suit to match the bar he sets.
Kai Havertz - 4
Fresh from his last-gasp winner in Portugal in midweek, the German started in North London with the returning Eberechi Eze on the bench and Martin Odegaard out of contention.
Slightly drained of energy perhaps, he did not offer enough creatively to knit things together nor to justify keeping him on, and Arteta duly responded by removing him after 54 minutes in his early triple change.
Noni Madueke - 5
Although he gradually started to express himself on the right flank, Truffert’s dogged and relentless individual defending ensured Arsenal couldn’t utilise the winger during the first half.
Gabriel Martinelli - 4
On the opposite flank it was a similar story as the Brazilian only had eight touches in his 54 minutes. Arsenal’s insufficient desire to attack the Bournemouth back line hardly stemmed from the left side.
Viktor Gyokeres - 6
The Swede scored his 18th goal across all competitions this season with a faultless penalty into the left corner to temporarily halt the Bournemouth dominance.
Due to Arsenal’s flawed build-up, Gyokeres was used as an outlet. He ran into channels and stayed physical with his marker.
His conviction faded towards the latter stages during Arsenal’s desperation, hesitating and snatching at a handful of late half chances.
Substitutes
Eberechi Eze - 4
Returning from injury, Eze’s impact was unnoticeable as he dropped deep and continued the caution in Arsenal’s possession.
Leandro Trossard - 4
The Belgian supplied more in defence than when taking on his full-back, who he seemed to underestimate. He remained too predictable when trying to shift the ball away from Alex Jimenez.
Max Dowman - 4
The 16-year-old was called upon by the Arsenal boss once more from the bench. However, this time out, he had little involvement to inject the necessary inspiration into the team.
Gabriel Jesus - 5
Arguably, the Brazilian should have been deployed much earlier to pose a different challenge and become a nuisance to the Cherries back line.
In his 20 minutes, he took up positive areas and looked as if he had the promising rhythm to turn the tide.
Cristhian Mosquera - 4
The centre-back replaced White at right-back and had little of note during his cameo.