Football news - Youngsters inspire Arsenal to FA Cup win over Bournemouth
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ByEurosport
Updated 27/01/2020 at 22:51 GMT
FA Cup, Fourth Round, Vitality Stadium – Bournemouth 1 (Surridge 90’) Arsenal 2 (Saka 5’, Nketiah 26’)
Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring a goal for Arsenal with Joe Willock during the FA Cup Fourth Round match between AFC Bournemouth and Arsenal at Vitality Stadium on January 27, 2020 in Bournemouth, England
Image credit: Getty Images
An excellent first-half performance from Arsenal, who were as good as Bournemouth were execrable was enough to take them into round 5. They will now travel to Portsmouth, while Bournemouth will try to stay in the Premier League.
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Arsenal's English striker Bukayo Saka (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal of the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Bournemouth and Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, southern England on January 27, 20
Image credit: Getty Images
Arsenal started the game well, passing and moving while Bournemouth sat off, and took the lead on five minutes, Bukayo Saka lashing home a fine shot at the end of a 22-pass move involving all 10 outfield players.
Still, Bournemouth did not improve, and another fine move allowed Saka to cross for Eddie Nketiah - who looks a natural goalscorer -and he slid home with ease.
Bournemouth roused themselves in the closing stages of the half but were unable to create any clear-cut chances, likewise after the break when they at least competed. But, with four of eight injury-time minutes remaining - the half had seen various head injuries and Shkodran Mustafi suffered what looked like a nasty ankle injury - substitute Sam Surridge nabbed an livener.
Failing to win a game in which they’d been so dominant would have been the absolute height of Arsenal, but they held out with relative ease which tells you all you need to know about Bournemouth.
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Arsenal's English striker Bukayo Saka (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal of the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Bournemouth and Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, southern England on January 27, 20
Image credit: Getty Images
TALKING POINT
Who is in Arteta's first XI? Martinelli, Saka and Willock are better than Lacazette, Pepe and Guendouzi. Will Mikel Arteta keep them in for league games, when everyone is fit?
MAN OF THE MATCH
Joe Willock (Arsenal) Saka played well too, but Willock was the key man in the middle of the pitch, turning, running, always looking forward and involved in both goals.
PLAYER RATINGS
Bournemouth: Travers 6, Smith 6, Cook S 5, Ake 6, Simpson 6, Cook L 5, Surman 4, Gosling 5, Wilson H 5, Solanke 4, Fraser 6. Subs: Francis 6, Wilson 6, Surridge 7.
Arsenal: Martinez 7, Bellerin 6, Mustafi 6, Sokratis 6, Ska 8, Xhaka 7, Guendouzi 7, Willock 8, Pepe 5, Nketiah 6, Martinelli 7. Subs: Holding 6, Ceballos 6, Maitland-Niles 6.
KEY STATS
Eddie Nketiah has scored four times in the nine shots he's taken in his Arsenal career.
Bukayo Saka has scored and assisted in three different games this season - tonight, Eintracht Frankfurt and Standard Liege.
KEY MOMENTS
5’ - GOAL! AFC Bournemouth 0-1 Arsenal (Saka) Arsenal keep possession for a while and then Pepe darts a ball inside to Willock, who eases clear and heads boxwards. He thinks about shooting but doesn't seem to fancy his left foot, so moves it across to Martinelli, who slides a soft, deft pass into Saka's pass, and he fairly lashes a shot into the roof from eight yards. That's a very good goal, though it's fair to wonder quite what the defenders were up to.
20’ - Nice from Willock, who turns adroitly to get away from Gosling and collect a pass from Bellerin, hopping outside Ake and lacing a low shot that Travers saves with legs at his near post. For a moment it looks like the rebound will fall to Martinelli, but it does not and Bournemouth scramble the ball clear.
26’ - GOAL! Bournemouth 0-2 Arsenal (Nketiah) He's got the knack! Mustafi into Nketiah, who comes short and lays off to Willock, who moves it wide to Saka. His cross is more of a pass - that's how poor Bournemouth's passing is - and Nketiah slots home with ease.
38’ - Bournemouth attack! Fraser goes down the left and crosses well; the ball is nudged away from Solanke by Xhaka, but as the ball drops, Wilson gets a good look at it, and clouts a volley that Martinez does well to beat away at his near post.
66’ - Bournemouth win another corner and Martinez comes flying out, gets nowhere near the ball, and Simpson is there! But, under pressure, all he can do it he meets it well, which he does .. but the ball flies just wide.
90+4’ - GOAL! Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal (Surridge) All night, Bournemouth have refrained from sticking the ball into the box, and here's one! Fraser finds Francis on the right, who swings in a cross that everyone misses, Surridge aside. He takes a lovely touch to control, alone in front of goal, and tucks home. It'd be so Arsenal to avoid winning this.
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