Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal player ratings: Saka, you beautiful man
By Kian Long
Arsenal guaranteed their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup against AFC Bournemouth…
It was always going to be a tough visit for the Gunners as they travelled South to face the Cherries. Mikel Arteta took charge of his first match against Eddie Howe as a manager and he prevailed as the scoreline finished Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal.
The Gunners got off to a dominant start as they headed into the first half two goals ahead. Two fine team displays saw both Bukayo Saka provide a good finish and Eddie Nketiah get a goal on his return to first-team action.
The game was pretty comfortable for Arsenal for the most-part after their goals. Although, they did feel the pressure late on and, despite a VAR check, they gave into this pressure and let their well-earned clean sheet slip as Sam Surridge scored what turned out to be a consolation goal for the home side.
Now Arteta’s men will travel to Portsmouth in the next round of their FA Cup journey and they will be hoping for a performance as convincing as they displayed tonight.
Without further ado, how did each individual fare in this important win for Arsenal?
GK: Emiliano Martinez – /10
Had a quiet first half and this was pretty much indicative of his performance as a whole. In injury time, he was dumbfounded by Surridge and left wrong-footed to hinder his clean sheet which the side had worked hard for. Still, you win some and you lose some. Overall, it was an okay performance from Martinez despite the nervy end.