Arsenal won 2–0 at home against Bournemouth, but Rhys Nelson scored with the last kick of the game to win 3–2.
This game will take some beating for drama and pure mayhem and the Gunners are leading the table by five points.
Philippe Billing scored after just nine seconds (the second fastest goal in Premier League history) to give Bournemouth a dream start and Marcos Ceneci made it 2-0 early in the season as the Cherries were in dreamland.
But Arsenal bounced back with goals from Thomas Partey and Ben White in quick succession.
Arsenal looked set to settle for a draw but substitute Nelson smashed home a stunning finish to spark wild scenes at the Emirates.
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Mikel Arteta’s side sit on 63 points in the Premier League, five points clear of second-placed Manchester City. Bournemouth remain on 21 points and in the relegation zone.
Fate hangs heavy in the air as Arsenal secure an incredible comeback win
The way Arsenal’s players, fans and staff celebrated when Reiss Nelson’s thunderbolt struck was like a moment for the title-winning teams. Going into Bournemouth 2-0 down on 28 minutes, all signs pointed to it not being Arsenal’s day. But with 12 games to go there is a sense of destiny about this Gunners side. They recently struggled to win late at Aston Villa and have scored more 90th-minute winning goals (three) than any other Premier League side this season. After going behind with nine seconds on the clock, they dominated the rest of this game and although it was brutal at Bournemouth, they can have no complaints about losing. Substitutes have scored with both Ben White and Reiss Nelson all chipping in (they have 14 different goalscorers, more than any other PL team this season) and the reaction to losing to Man City in February was an incredible four-straight. Everyone succeeds in different ways. Both Mikel Arteta and this young Arsenal squad are developing into a hungry, scrappy, winning machine, and the Gunners are now circling the glimmer of destiny.
Mikel Arteta: ‘When it’s ugly and when it’s tough, that’s what big teams do’
“It was crazy from the first second,” Arteta told the BBC’s Match of the Day. “We kept trying and dominated the game. There was a mountain to climb and we took it bit by bit. We were hungry to get to the first destination. Since then the environment has changed. Reyes Nelson was injured and didn’t feature much. He comes and gives that performance. It was incredible to feel the emotions with the crowd. It sticks with us. I will remember this day for a few things. I loved the initiative, the courage, their personality and the way they did things. When it’s ugly, when it’s tough, that’s what great teams do. We have to make it easy for ourselves. But this is the Premier League. Enemies are good, they make you tough. Now we have the Europa League – lots of games coming up. We need the best for everyone. “
Stars of the show; Arsenal vs Bournemouth Player Ratings
Thomas Party: Drives Arsenal out of midfield and pops up with a great goal to restart.
Philip Billing: Scored the opening goal and turned Bournemouth on when they faced off.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: So play the ball calmly at key moments, never stopping trying to find a forward pass.
What’s next?
Arsenal travel to Sporting Lisbon on Thursday for the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last 16 tie, then travel to Fulham on Sunday. Bournemouth host Liverpool on Saturday.
How to watch Arsenal vs Bournemouth live, stream link and start time
to dock off: 10am ET, Saturday
TV Channel: Peacock
Online: Via Stream Peacock premium
Full time – Arsenal 3-2 Bournemouth: Spectacular spectacle at the Emirates. Everyone is going wild from an Arsenal perspective. It was brutal at Bournemouth, but Arsenal were the better team. They found a way to do it. Aha. Just wow.
GOALLLL! They have done it. Reyes Nelson smashed it home with the game’s deficit kick. They have done that. Fans, staff and players go wild. Arsenal 3-2 Bournemouth.
Gabriel Martinelli shoots. Bournemouth have run out of steam here.
GOALLLL! Ben White made it 2-2. His shot is over the boundary. confusion. Arsenal 2-2 Bournemouth. Arsenal have plenty of time to get a winner.
GOALLLL! Thomas Party pulls one back. It’s 2-1. She popped up at the back post to finish after Emily Smith Rowe’s header. 28 minutes to go. Hook.
GOALLLL! 2-0 to Bournemouth. Marcos Ceneci finishes from a corner. A nightmare for Arsenal. Complete scenes at the end of the Ave.
Bournemouth have looked good so far. Arsenal were frustrated.
The second half is underway. Can Arsenal find two goals to turn this around? They definitely will.
half time – Arsenal 0-1 Bournemouth: Incredible start to this game as Billings’ goal after nine seconds put the Cherries ahead. Arsenal had plenty of the ball but failed to carve out big chances and Bournemouth scored again on the counter. What a great group talk, and 45 minutes, it comes to Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal push for an equalizer before half-time. Bournemouth held on.
The handball whistled and VAR checked for a possible Arsenal penalty, but the ball hit Chris Mebham’s upper arm and shoulder as he missed his header in the box. Bournemouth had a tense moment but were not awarded a penalty kick.
Leandro Trazzard is out and Emile Smith Rowe is on. It’s great to see ESR back in action after such a long time with injury. Trossard has been excellent in recent weeks so a blow to Arsenal.
Save!!! What a great stop by Aaron Ramsdale. Bournemouth kept clean after a brilliant counter, but Ramsdale ran into his line to block Outtra’s shot. Arsenal fans chanted Ramsdale’s name loud and proud.
A reminder, while that goal was ridiculously fast, it wasn’t the fastest goal in Premier League history. Shane Long has achieved that feat again for Southampton against Watford in a few years. He beat it by more than seven seconds.
Save! Brilliant double stop from Neto to deny Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saga’s rebound. Arsenal have responded well to that shock.
GOALLLL! Unbelievable. Bournemouth took a 1-0 lead in just 9 (nine) seconds. Billing swept home a cross and Arsenal couldn’t believe it. Arteta is stunned. Bournemouth tried something very different from the kick-off as everyone lined up on one side and they played on the other to score. Aha. Who would have predicted this start?
Arsenal squad news, injuries, lineup
Bournemouth squad news, injuries, lineup
