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31 min: Making a driving run to the near post from deep, Tavernier connects with a low Justin Kluivert cross but is unable to steer his effort goalwards. Wide.
30 min: Evanilson tries a shot from distance that is blocked by Gabriel, just inside the Arsenal penalty area. Bournemouth’s fans appeal for “HANDBALL!” but their players don’t.
28 min: Correction: it was Piero Hincapie who was tripped by Semenyo … I think.
27 min: Antoine Semenyo is booked for accidentally tripping Martin Zubimendi as the pair of them chased a loose ball.
24 min: Gabriel gives away a free-kick about 35 yards from the Arsenal goal, well right of centre. Justin Kluivert fancies his chances but his ambitious, dipping effort bounces on its way wide. It wasn’t a terrible effort and Raya certainly thought it might have been sneaking into the bottom corner.
23 min: Marcus Tavernier outjumps Martin Odegaard to get his head to a delivery from the right but is unable to steer his effort goalwards. The ball skims harmlessly off the top of his head and away from goal.
20 min: David Brooks slips the ball to Evanilson in a good but offside position. He dawdled over his shot before having the ball nicked off his toe. He knew the flag was going up.
18 min: Arsenal corner. Declan Rice’s inswinger is touched away by Petrovic, who gets enough glove on the ball to steer it away from danger.
Having seen the operning goal of this game again, I’ve come to the conclusion that Gabriel was trying to switch the play from one side of the field to the other and just completely miskicked the ball. There’s no question surrounding what he was trying to do when he leathered it home to restore parity a few minutes later.
ShareGOAL! Bournemouth 1-1 Arsenal (Gabriel 16)
Redemption for Gabriel! Excellent work down the right by Madueke, who beats Semenyo far too easily en route to the byline before pulling the ball back into the Bournemouth penalty area. Martinelli has a shot that’s blocked and the ball breaks to Gabriiel, who fires home from about 15 yards out.
Gabriel atones for his mistake! Photograph: James Marsh/ShutterstockWhat a few minutes for the Arsenal number 6! Photograph: James Marsh/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 12.52 EST
15 min: since opening the scoring, Bournemouth have gone reasonably close again courtesy of a Justin Kluivery shot from distance that whistled narrowly wide.
12 min: Even if he hadn’t spotted Evanilson before passing the ball straight to him, it’s difficult to know exactly what exactly Gabriel was trying to do in unwittingly providing the assist for Bournemouth’s opener. From a position not too far away from the corner flag, he squared the ball to his compatriot, who only had Raya to beat and did so with ease.
ShareGOAL! Bournemouth 1-0 Arsernal (Evanilson 10)
Bournemouth lead! It’s a shocking mistake from Gabriel, who passes the ball straight to Evanilson from the Arsenal left-back position. The Bournemouth striker can’t believe his luck and slots the ball past David Raya with a minimum of fuss. My word.
Evanilson rolls in the opener after a gift from Arsenal’s Gabriel. Photograph: James Marsh/ShutterstockThat was a great assist from Gabriel. Photograph: Graham Hunt/ProSports/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 12.46 EST
9 min: Good and bad work for Noni Madueke, who picks up the ball on the right wing, cuts inside and beats Adrien Truffert with a stepover. Having created an angle for a shot, he curls his effort high and wide.
6 min: WIlliam Saliba advances out of the Arsenal defence with the ball at his feet, spots a gap and goes through the gears before giving away possession with a misplaced pass. He sprints back into position before Bournemouth can launch a counter-attack.
5 min: Alejandro Jiminez has the ball nicked off his toe by Piero Hincapie, who can only prod it gently in the direction of Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who gathers without fuss.
4 min: Arsenal get their foot on the ball for the first time in these early stages and enjoy a spell of sustained possession.
2 min: Bournemouth are very quick out of the traps and win a throw-in deep in Arsenal territory. Semenyo trebuchets the ball into the opposition box but Arsenal prove more competent at dealing with his long throw than Chelsea did. They clear but Bournemouth win the second ball and another corner.
Declan Rice gets to grips with Bournemouth’s James Hill. Photograph: Alastair Grant/APShare
Updated at 12.41 EST
Bournemouth v Arsenal is go …
1 min: Bournemouth get the ball rolling, their players wearing their usual home kit. Those of Arsenal are in white shirts, burgundy shorts and white socks. Antoine Semenyo is immediately into action, pouncing on a ball over the top before winning a corner for his side. It’s cleared.
Not long now: Referee Chris Kavanagh and his match officials lead both sets of players out on to the Vitality Stadium pitch ahead of kick-off. Martin Odegaard and David Brooks skipper their respective sides.
ShareA corner flag flaps in the breeze on the south coast. Photograph: Hongbo Chen/Action Plus/ShutterstockShareArsenal’s players warm-up at the Vitality Stadium. Photograph: Toby Melville/ReutersShare
Elsewhere in the Premier League: Wolves have finally won their first match of the season, scoring three without reply against sorry West Ham at Molineux. In news to make those of us who remember his Leeds United debut as a 16-year-old feel truly ancient, James Milner celebrated his 40th birthday by helping Brighton to a 2-0 win over Burnley, while Aston Villa got back to winning ways by beating Nottingham Forest 3-1 at Villa Park in today’s early kick-off. Wolves remain 12 points adrift of safety at the bottom of the table but today’s results mean life is looking a lot less bleak for Rob Edwards’ side now than it did first thing this morning.
Those teams: Bournemouth’s team is identical to that which started against Chelsea in midweek, with Antoine Semenyo making his 100th and possibly final appearance for the club. Having recovered from a neck injury, Lewis Cook is among the substitutes.
Arsenal make three changes to the side that started against Aston Villa. Back from a knee injury, Declan Rice comes in for Mikel Merino. There are starts for Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli, who start in place of Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard. Kai Havertz is not in the matchday squad but Arsenal staff have assured inquisitors that there is nothing wrong with him, but “his workload” is being managed.
Declan Rice is back in the Arsenal team after missing their win over Aston Villa. Photograph: Toby Melville/ReutersShareBournemouth v Arsenal line-ups
Bournemouth: Petrovic, Jimenez, Hill, Senesi, Truffert, Scott, Tavernier, Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo, Evanilson.
Subs: Forster, Cook, Soler, Smith, Diakite, Adli, Kroupi, Unal, Rees-Dottin.
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard, Madueke, Martinelli, Gyokeres.
Subs: Kepa, White, Saka, Jesus, Eze, Norgaard, Trossard. Merino, Lewis-Skelly.
Team news: Declan Rice is fit enough to start in midfield for Arsenal, while Bukayo Saka is on the bench and Kai Havertz is given the day off. Antoine Semenyo takes his place in the Bournemouth starting XI. We’ll have the full line-ups very shortly …
Updated at 11.22 EST
Arsenal: Mikel Arteta believes his team are ready to banish the unwanted statistic of not winning the Premier League title on the five previous occasions they have begun the new year top of the table. Ed Aarons reports …
Arsenal’s January transfer plans: “We are open to every option,” said Arteta upon being quizzed on the matter yesterday. “Obviously, if we can find a solution that is short, medium or long. It’s always much better because it gives you stability and you don’t have to constantly start a process with a new player. But let’s see what happens, let’s see what the news is in the next few weeks, and we’ll try to make the right decision.”
Arsenal are one of several clubs to have been linked with Real Madrid winger Rodrygo but the La Liga heavyweights may be reluctant to let the Brazilian go anywhere in the January window following the news that Kylian Mbappe has suffered a knee injury, the seriousness of which remains unclear.
Antoine Semenyo: While the Bournemouth winger is expected to move to Manchester City sooner rather than later this month, at his pre-match presser, Iraola said nothing has been set in stone .. yet. “No, there is nothing signed,” he told reporters. “For sure, there are conversations and I understand a lot of the noise around, but there is nothing signed.
“Antoine is our player. We want to keep him. He is playing very well and doing the right things. He is a top professional, a top guy. He wants to help the team and his team-mates and I have no doubts that he will do his best. I have no doubts with him. He is being a top professional and I’m sure he will be until the last day.”
Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola seems far more hopeful than expectant that Antoine Semenyo will remain a Bournemouth player beyond the January transfer window, or indeed next Wednesday. Photograph: Peter Tarry/PAShareToday’s match officials
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistants: Dan Cook and Ian Hussin
Fourth official: Lewis Smith
VAR: Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR: Marc Perry
Chris Kavanagh leads today’s team of match officials at the Vitality Stadium. Photograph: Alan Martin/Colorsport/ShutterstockShareEarly team news
Having missed Arsenal’s win over Villa with a swollen knee, Declan Rice could return for today’s game but will face a fitness test. “Let’s see how he comes and how that’s feeling,” said Mikel Arteta yesterday. “The Aston Villa game was too early for him.” Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori have been ruled out, while Max Dowman, who reached the ripe old age of 16 on New Year’s Eve, is also sidelined.
Despite appearing to bid farewell to Bournemouth fans following their midweek draw with Chelsea, Antoine Semenyo looks likely to play this evening and is also expected to be available for Bournemouth’s next match against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. “Yes, Antoine is going to play in this match,” said Iraloa yesterday. “I think the idea at least is that he’s going to be available for these two games that we have in a very short turnaround.”
Ben Gannon-Doak, Ryan Christie, Tyler Adams and Veljko Milosavljevic have all been ruled out, while Lewis Cook will have to pass a late fitness test after missing the draw with Chelsea. “With Lewis, we are still waiting,” said Iraola. “It’s his neck and the pain that he feels. He will try to train today and we will see. Hopefully he will be available for tomorrow.”
Hopeful of signing a contract with Manchester City in the near future, Antoine Semenyo practices his signature by giving out autographs to Bournemouth fans this afternoon instead. Photograph: Graham Hunt/ProSports/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 11.13 EST
Premier League Bournemouth v Arsenal
To the Vitality Stadium, for today’s New Year clash between Bournemouth and Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s side arrive on the South Coast sitting pretty at the top of the table, four points clear and buoyed by a midweek 4-1 dismantling of Aston Villa. They face hosts who are winless in 10 top flight matches (five draws, five defeats) but are somewhat of a bogey side for Arsenal, having pulled off an impressive league double against them last season.
Arsenal’s win over Villa marked their fourth in a row in the Premier League but they have won just one of their past four on the road, having dropped points away at Villa, Chelsea and Sunderland. Bournemouth’s last win came over two months ago against Nottingham Forest, a victory that sent them second in the Premier League. They have since plummeted to 15th. Kick-off today is at 5.30pm (GMT) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.