Premier League Weekend: Arsenal’s Long Faces and Tottenham’s Joyride
Ah, the Premier League. Where the highs are higher than a giraffe on stilts and the lows are akin to falling off the edge of the footballing world. This weekend, Arsenal found themselves in a precarious position, losing their first match of the season 2-0 against Bournemouth, while Tottenham strutted around like peacocks after dismantling West Ham 4-1. Talk about a tale of two cities—or should I say two clubs!
Bournemouth 2 – Arsenal 0
“Nothing was going right,” said the Gunners. As if their luck ran off and joined a circus! They were without their talismanic forward, Bukayo Saka, which is akin to a superhero without his cape. And then, just to add the cherry on the disappointment cake, William Saliba decided to take an early shower—well, not exactly his choice, but a red card in the 30th minute for a silly challenge lessened Arsenal’s chances faster than you can say “defensive catastrophe.”
To add insult to injury—quite a challenge as they were already limping along—Ryan Christie scored in the 70th minute, sending Bournemouth’s fans into ecstatic fits. And just when you thought they might recover, David Raya decided to play the role of unwitting villain, giving away a penalty that Justin Kluivert converted with the elegance of a swan, leaving Arsenal fans wondering if they should start smashing their TVs.
And let’s not forget, they’ll be waltzing into their next game against Liverpool missing Saliba. I guess they’ll finally understand the meaning of “defensive frailty!”
Tottenham 4 – West Ham 1
Meanwhile, in a universe not so far away, Tottenham brushed off the cobwebs of a shaky start to the season with a thumping victory over West Ham. The visitors briefly had a moment of madness, scoring the first goal through Mohamed Kodos. But don’t fret, Spurs fans! In true classic fashion, they equalized and then exploded like fireworks in the second half. James Maddison being substituted apparently opened the floodgates—note to Tottenham: keep that in your game plan!
By the time the dust settled, Jung Min Son was back in business, finishing the game with a goal and an assist like he was auditioning for a job as Santa Claus delivering gifts of goals!
But bless Kodos, who went from hero to zero faster than you can say “VAR review,” getting a straight red card for slapping Mickey van de Ven in the face. A classic case of “I can’t believe I just did that!”
What’s Next?
As Arsenal gear up to host Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League midweek, they’ll be hoping to claw back some dignity. But they might need a miracle, a motivational speech, and maybe a few magic potions from Harry Potter!
As for Tottenham? They have their sights set on a Europa League match against Alkmaar and will be looking to keep the momentum rolling like a well-oiled football machine. It’s all about seizing the moment, isn’t it? With confidence soaring after this weekend, who knows, they could be pulling off even bigger tricks!
In the world of football, it’s all fun and games until your team loses. Then it’s just sad faces, despondent sighs, and a lot of questioning if you really should have given up that Netflix subscription.
Until next time, keep your goals high and your expectations higher!
Arsenal suffered a difficult blow this evening (Saturday) in the form of their first loss for the 2024/25 season, 2:0 at Bournemouth as part of the eighth round in the Premier League, when in addition they also lost William Saliba for the game against Liverpool. In today’s early game, Tottenham returned to the winning track in the league with a crushing 1:4 over West Ham.
Bournemouth – Arsenal 0:2
It wasn’t just a loss, simply nothing went right in this encounter for the Gunners, who also arrived without their star, the injured Bokayo Saka, and the consequences of the result could be significant despite the very early stage of the season. The move that set the tone for the rest came in the 30th minute, when Saliva saw a straight red card, was sent off for the first time in his career, leaving his team with ten players and as a result will also lose the huge battle against Liverpool in the next round.
Mikel Arteta’s team did try, but by necessity found themselves mainly on the defensive until, in the 70th minute, they also fell behind when Ryan Christie sent the Bournemouth fans in the stands of the Vitality Stadium into the clouds. Nine minutes in, the north Londoners’ woes only deepened, as David Raya tripped Avnelsson in the box and Justin Kluivert stepped up to double the home side’s lead from the spot.
William Saliba is frustrated (Reuters)
The North Londoners dream of a championship, but for the important meeting against the Merseysiders they will arrive after their biggest low point so far this season, without the man who is the stronghold of their defense and with Saka’s condition still a mystery. They will come to the game with 17 points on their balance sheet and Redez will have the opportunity to increase the gap between them to four points when they face Chelsea later in the cycle for another top battle.
Even before that, Arsenal will look to bounce back when they host Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates in the Champions League in midweek and try to restore some of their confidence. On the other hand, Andoni Iraola and his apprentices deserve all the compliments as they have 11 points at the top of the table and they will visit Birmingham at Aston Villa for a tough game in the next round.
Bournemouth players celebrate (Reuters)
Tottenham – West Ham 1:4
The hosts dominated from the start, but fell behind surprisingly when it was Mohamed Kodos who scored first on the other side after 18 minutes of play. Ange Postecoglou’s team was not moved, continued on their own and in the 36th minute Dejan Kolosavski achieved the deserved equaliser. After returning from the break, everything was really released for the boys from North London, precisely after the Australian coach took James Maddison off the turf, they found their rhythm.
Yves Bissomma gave a 1:2 advantage in the 52nd minute, Jung Min Son, who returned to the lineup after the injury, kicked Alphonse Areola, who scored an own goal before the Korean completed an eight-minute blitz by scoring another goal, this time on his name, and gave 1:4 in the 5th minute -60. Even before the end, Kodos, who scored the opening goal for the Hammers, became the tragic hero when he got into a confrontation with Mickey van de Ven, slapped his hand in his face and saw a straight red card that left his team with 10 men in the 86th minute.
Jung Min Son celebrates (Reuters)
After leading 0:2 and losing 3:2 against Brighton before the break, the North Londoners can be satisfied with the three points and will now be free to host Alkmaar in the Europa League before visiting Crystal Palace in the next round. On the other hand, West Ham continues its faltering start to the season and has only eight points on its balance sheet before hosting Manchester United.
Watch: Ronaldo’s dramatic winning goal in the derby
