{"id":5121,"date":"2026-04-12T19:12:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T19:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=5121"},"modified":"2026-04-12T19:12:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T19:12:35","slug":"arsenal-1-2-bournemouth-martin-keown-slamsn-gunners-for-failing-to-find-max-dowman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=5121","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth: Martin Keown slamsn Gunners for failing to find Max Dowman"},"content":{"rendered":"


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It was a tricky day at the office for Arsenal on Saturday as they lost momentum in the Premier League title race. Bournemouth tipped up to the Emirates Stadium and won 2-1 with ease \u2013 and Martin Keown has slammed Mikel Arteta\u2019s side for not passing to a certain player.<\/p>\n

With the chance to go 12 points clear now fluffed, the Gunners will be looking ahead to their Champions League tie with Sporting CP but there was a lot to learn from their defeat to the Cherries.<\/p>\n

Eli Junior Kroupi opened the scoring before Viktor Gyokeres responded from the spot 18 minutes later.<\/p>\n

Read More:<\/strong> Time to drop him? Arteta urged to drop \u2018not good enough\u2019 star following Bournemouth loss<\/p>\n

It was Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott who became the man of the moment, though, as he slipped through Arsenal to bag the deciding goal in the 74th minute. And Keown was left frustrated.<\/p>\n

Keown slams Arsenal in wake of 2-1 Premier League defeat to Bournemouth<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From Viktor Gyokeres blaming the dry pitch to Mikel Arteta being told that Gabriel Martinelli should be replaced by Max Dowman moving forward, post-defeat has been rather chaotic for Arsenal.<\/p>\n

The youngster entered the fray in the 54th minute \u2013 alongside Eberechi Eze and Leandro Trossard \u2013 but failed to make much of a difference.<\/p>\n

Dowman, 16, has been a source of inspiration in weeks gone by (as evidenced by his last-minute goal against Everton) but that wasn\u2019t the case as Bournemouth ran out 2-1 victors against Arteta\u2019s men.<\/p>\n

Although the promising forward was ineffective throughout his short cameo, Keown has claimed that it was largely on the Arsenal players<\/a>. That was because they, time and time again, struggled to find him on the flank. <\/p>\n

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\u201cArsenal fixed the play and the picture never changed,\u201d he said while speaking to TNT Sports, per The Metro. \u201cArsenal then couldn\u2019t develop the play into their midfield players.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when (Max) Dowman came on, we were all screaming to give him the ball, but they didn\u2019t have enough good control of the ball in the midfield and that is all down to Bournemouth and Arsenal not mixing their game enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

From a statistical point of view, the teenage sensation took 17 touches \u2013 just five of which were in Bournemouth\u2019s 18-yard box \u2013 and failed to complete his solitary dribble during 36 minutes on the pitch. <\/p>\n

Mikel Arteta remains coy when touching on Bukayo Saka\u2019s fitness<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Although Gyokeres believed the dry Emirates pitch was an attributor to their poor performance, Arsenal\u2019s long injury list \u2013 including Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard \u2013 is a much better explanation.<\/p>\n

Saka, Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori were all absent in Arsenal\u2019s 2-1 loss on Saturday; and Arteta, following his side\u2019s chastening defeat, provided an update on the trio\u2019s fitness.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo (on Calafiori), and on Martin (Odegaard) as well, no. Bukayo Saka, too. We don\u2019t have an update,\u201d the Gunners boss claimed.<\/p>\n

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