Arsenal staged a dramatic late comeback in the final 20 minutes to rescue a 3-3 draw from three goals down against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium this evening.
The hosts took complete control of the match in the first half through quickfire goals from Charlie Daniels and Callum Wilson before Ryan Fraser seemingly wrapped up the points before the hour mark with a third.
However, an Alexis Sanchez diving header gave Arsenal a glimmer of hope before Lucas Perez volleyed an exquisite second in for the visitors just five minutes later.
Bournemouth's task of holding on got even tougher when Simon Francis was shown a straight red card, and Olivier Giroud sealed the thrilling fightback when he glanced home a 92nd-minute equaliser.
Find out how all of the action unfolded on a memorable evening on the South Coast courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute coverage below.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Premier League clash between Bournemouth and Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium! Both of these sides enjoyed an encouraging first half of the season for the most part, and will be looking to get the second half of the campaign off to a positive start tonight. For the visitors it could prove vital to their title hopes, while Bournemouth will be more than happy if they can solidify their position in the top half of the table. Before we take an in-depth look at the clubs, though, let's first check out the team news...
BOURNEMOUTH STARTING XI: Boruc; Francis, Cook, Ake, Daniels; Arter, Gosling, Stanislas, Fraser, King; Wilson
BOURNEMOUTH SUBS: Federici, Mings, A Smith, B Smith, Surman, Ibe, Mousset
ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Xhaka; Ramsey, Iwobi, Sanchez; Giroud
ARSENAL SUBS: Ospina, Maitland-Niles, Gabriel, Holding, Reine-Adelaide, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lucas
What can we make of those two teams, then? Well the big news as far as Bournemouth are concerned is the absence of Jack Wilshere, who misses out this evening as he is ineligible to play against his parent club. That will be a big blow for the Cherries in midfield, but Arsene Wenger will surely be happy with how the England international is progressing at Dean Court. Joshua King, who scored the last goal during Bournemouth's win over Swansea on New Year's Eve, replaces Wilshere.
That is one of three changes made by Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe, with Dan Gosling and Callum Wilson also returning to the starting XI. Wilson scored Bournemouth's goal in the reverse fixture between these two sides but may have felt that his position was under threat after Benik Afobe scored the opener against Swansea last time out. Afobe also withdrew from the DR Congo squad for the African Cup of Nations in order to continue his progress at Bournemouth, so he will be unhappy to miss out today.
Ryan Fraser, who also scored against Swansea, keeps his place in the starting XI alongside Stanislas and King in that trio just behind Wilson. As mentioned, Gosling also comes into the midfield, replacing Surman as the latter drops to the bench. Harry Arter keeps his place, though, and there are no changes at the back as Eddie Howe once again partners Ake with Cook at the heart of the defence.
Bournemouth's defenders have weighed in with quite a few goals of their own so far this season, and in particular Charlie Daniels has impressed in the final third. Indeed, the full-back has registered the most assists (7) and created the most chances (54) of any Bournemouth player in the Premier League. With Francis, Cook and Ake all capable of popping up with the odd goal too, it is a very valuable unit to have at both ends of the park.
As for Arsenal, the headline news for them is that Shkodran Mustafi returns to the starting lineup following a spell out through injury, replacing Gabriel in the side as the Brazilian drops to the bench. Mustafi was on the bench for the win over Palace, but this is his first start since picking up the injury in the only change to the back five, with Bellerin, Koscielny and Monreal all keeping their places.
Like Bournemouth, Arsenal have made three changes from that win over Palace, and one of those is an enforced one in the holding midfield role. Mohamed Elneny has departed for the African Cup of Nations, and so Francis Coquelin replaces him in the starting XI alongside Xhaka tonight. Aaron Ramsey also comes into the side in place of Lucas Perez, who drops to the bench.
Ramsey will play in the trio just behind the striker alongside Iwobi, who scored against Palace, and Sanchez, who has been one of the standout performers of the season so far. Indeed, the Chilean has nine goals and three assists from his nine away appearances in the Premier League so far this season, and is just one goal short of his best-ever tally of 10 goals away from home in a European top-flight season - set with Udinese in 2010-11.
However, for the most part Sanchez has been playing as the club's main striker this season. The Chilean has certainly proved that he can play in that position, but in the last two games he has been pushed further out wide to accommodate Olivier Giroud, who once again leads the line tonight. It is his third consecutive start having not started a single league game all season before this run, but he boasts a very good record of eight goals in the last six matches which he has started. That includes, of course, the remarkable scorpion goal he scored against Palace on Sunday.
Both teams have plenty of firepower in their sides, then, and I think it is fair to say that both will be fairly happy with how their seasons have gone so far too. Arsenal still have work to do, of course, but Bournemouth will be delighted by their position in the halfway stage. They come into this match in the top half of the table and, while victory would not be enough to move them up a place to eighth tonight, it would lift them 12 points clear of the relegation zone.
Despite sitting in a lofty ninth place, the prospect of relegation will certainly still be on Eddie Howe's mind, such is the tight nature of the entire bottom half. However, a 12-point gap at the halfway stage of the season would be a very strong position for the Cherries to be in, and victory would also leave them only 13 points adrift of the magic 40-point mark. They are already seven places better off than they were at the halfway point last season, so there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful for Bournemouth right now.
The main concern for Eddie Howe right now is consistency which, in many ways, is a nice concern to have compared to the teams below them in the table. While they are scrapping for any victory, Bournemouth are in the position to worry why they can't seem to string two together. They have the chance to do that tonight for the first time since March, but even if they don't manage that, their mixed form of four wins and four defeats in their last eight matches is enough to keep them at a safe distance from the drop zone.
The Cherries ended 2016 in style with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Swansea on New Year's Eve, with Afobe, Fraser and King all on the scoresheet in South Wales. It is their home form which has provided the main bulk of their points, though, and while at some stages of last season it seemed as though they were happy to simply be hosting Premier League games, now it feels more like they actually belong here when they welcome teams to the Vitality Stadium.
That is perhaps best shown by the fact that they have already beaten three teams who are currently above them in the table here this season, gaining maximum points against Liverpool, West Bromwich Albion and Everton. While they may not have particularly consistent results overall, they have not lost consecutive home games yet this season, although that record is in jeopardy tonight following their 3-1 defeat at the hands of Southampton before Christmas.
That is one of only two games they have lost here in their last eight outings, though, picking up five victories in that time - as many as they had managed in their first 20 Premier League home games. Indeed, they have already won as many matches at Dean Court at the halfway point of this season as they did throughout their entire debut campaign in the top flight. Before yesterday's matches they had even won the same number of home games as Manchester United and Manchester City this season.
Bournemouth's defence has been a little leaky here at the Vitality, though, with Howe's side conceding two or more goals in three of their last four outings in front of their own fans. They have still managed to win two of those, though, and they also always seem to score here. Tottenham Hotspur are the only visiting team to have avoided conceding at Dean Court since April - a run of 11 out of 12 home games in which Bournemouth have scored.
The Cherries are coming up against an Arsenal defence in decent form since Christmas, though, with back-to-back wins and clean sheets. Another blank this evening would give them three consecutive Premier League clean sheets for the first time all season, although it should also be noted that they have failed to prevent the opposition from scoring in each of their last seven outings in all competitions.
Their defensive record on the road may not be all that, but they certainly know how to put the ball in the back of the net at the other end. Since a goalless draw with Leicester in their first away game of the season, Arsenal have scored 32 goals in 12 outings on their travels - an average of 2.7 per game. In the Premier League alone they have 20 goals in nine matches, giving them the best goals-per-game ratio away from home in the top flight this season.
For all of those goals, though, Arsenal come into this match off the back of consecutive away defeats at the hands of Everton and title rivals Manchester City before Christmas. The Gunners had previously gone 15 without defeat on the road before those games, and what would have made them ever tougher to take for Wenger is the fact that they led in both games, and lost to a late goal in both too. Another defeat this evening would make it three away league losses in a row for the first time since October 2011.
The bigger picture beyond that away form is rather mixed for Arsenal. There are reasons to be positive, but also reasons to be pessimistic too - most notably the relentless form of league leaders Chelsea. The Gunners were top of the league themselves at the halfway point of last season, above eventual champions Leicester, but in the current campaign they sit fourth in the table despite being one point better off than they were at this stage of 2015-16.
Last season was a bit of an anomaly, of course, and normal order has been restored to some extent this term with the big six pulling away, but it is up to Arsenal to keep pace with Chelsea and hang on in the title race, waiting for any slip-up. That could well come tomorrow night, when Chelsea take on Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, which could see Arsenal end the gameweek six points behind Antonio Conte's side. On the flip side, though, should results go against the Gunners tonight and tomorrow, they could find themselves 12 behind Chelsea, which would surely be almost game over.
Victory tonight would send the Gunners back above Manchester City into third and, with Liverpool dropping points and at least one of Chelsea and Tottenham also guaranteed to do so, this is approaching must-win territory for Arsenal already. Their wins over West Brom and Crystal Palace in their last two matches have at least got them back to triumphant ways following the blips against Everton and Manchester City, before which Arsenal had lost just one of their 23 matches in all competitions since the opening day.
The pace Chelsea are setting this season is giving a fairly skewed view of the table, with the chasing pack actually doing very well, but just not well enough. Liverpool, for example, boasted a club-record 43 points at the halfway stage of the Premier League season but were still six points off the leaders, while this is only the second time in the last six seasons that Arsenal have reached 40 points after 19 games. Still, though, they find themselves in fourth and just one point clear of sixth.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Vitality Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction! Bournemouth made things tough for Arsenal in the reverse fixture and, with home advantage, it is only going to get harder for the Gunners. However, they know that they can't really afford to drop points and, having returned to form since Christmas, I'm backing them to scrape a 2-1 victory this evening.
The history between these two clubs is very short, and it is all lopsided in Arsenal's favour. The Gunners have won all four of the previous meetings, three of which have come in the Premier League and one of which came in the 1987-88 League Cup. The most recent of those was only back in November, when a Sanchez brace and Walcott strike helped Arsenal to a 3-1 win at the Emirates.
Callum Wilson scored from the penalty spot in that game to level things up at 1-1, which was Bournemouth's first ever goal against the Gunners. They have failed to breach Arsenal's defence in their previous three meetings, and the aggregate score now over their four clashes is 10-1 to Arsenal. Tonight, the Cherries will be looking for their first ever home goal against Arsene Wenger's side.
The last time these two sides met here was in February of 2016, when Bournemouth gave a good account of themselves only to be blown away by a quickfire brace from Arsenal. Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both scored within a minute of each other on that occasion as the Gunners ran out 2-0 winners on the South Coast.
Right, we're almost ready to go here as the players come out onto the pitch. Eight years ago today Eddie Howe took charge of his first ever Bournemouth game with the club 91st out of the 92 Football League teams. Today they welcome Arsenal in the Premier League and will go into the game with a real belief that they can get something from it.
KICKOFF: Here we go then! Bournemouth get us underway at the Vitality Stadium!
It's been a quick start to the match from both sides here. Arsenal make a decent break forward, but Bournemouth manage to prevent them from getting an early shot on goal.
SHOT! Decent spell of possession for Bournemouth just after Arsenal had begun to build a bit of pressure. The ball is gifted to the hosts in a decent position and King has the first shot on goal, but the ball rolls wide of the post. Cech seemed to have that one covered.
The original teamsheet from Arsenal appeared to suggest that Ramsey would be out wide with Iwobi in the number 10 role behind Giroud, but it is the other way round instead at the moment for the visitors.
SAVE! Good pressure from Bournemouth as they don't let Arsenal break out, with both of their full-backs pushed right up. In the end they win a corner which is worked to Stanislas, who drives a well-struck effort right into the gut of Cech.
Eddie Howe will be pretty happy with what he has seen from his side so far. They are keeping the ball well against an Arsenal side that usually like to have possession themselves and they have so far prevented the visitors from testing Boruc. Still very early days, though.
PENALTY SHOUT! The home fans want a penalty here as Stanislas slides a pass through for Wilson, who is clattered by Cech before he can get onto the ball. However, Cech crucially also got a touch on the ball, so it is a good decision from referee Michael Oliver.
Arsenal put Bournemouth under a bit of pressure in the first couple of minutes, but aside from that they really haven't got going so far. The hosts are looking very comfortable and Arsenal just don't seem to be able to build anything at the moment.
Sanchez tries to lift a pass over the defence for Ramsey, who has strayed into an offside position. The midfielder attempts to leave the ball, though, leaving it for the onside Iwobi, but the flag is already raised.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-0 Arsenal (Charlie Daniels)
It's been a slow start for Arsenal, and they have been punished for it! I mentioned Daniels's attacking threat before the game, and he has popped up with the opening goal here! The full-back is left in acres of space in the box and his first touch from the pass to find him is perfect. He then cuts inside of a scrambling Bellerin before slotting his finish past Cech. Big goal for the Cherries!
Arsenal win a free kick in a decent crossing position as they look for a quick response, but the delivery from Xhaka is cleared by the first man.
PENALTY TO BOURNEMOUTH!
GOAL! Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal (Callum Wilson, penalty)
Well, well, well! We're 20 minutes in and Arsenal are two goals behind! Bournemouth break so quickly from that poor Xhaka free kick, and it is the Arsenal midfielder who gives the penalty away too. He bundles into Fraser just inside the area, and at best it was clumsy and careless from Xhaka. Michael Oliver, who played a good advantage in the build-up too, points to the spot, and Wilson rolls the ball past Cech.
SHOT! Sanchez looks for a quick reply to that second goal, but his shot flies wide of the far post. That prompts an argument between Sanchez and Ramsey, and the frustration already seems to be growing for the visitors.
Arsenal simply have not been themselves in the first quarter of this match. That wayward Sanchez effort is the only shot they have had and they aren't keeping the ball well either. Bournemouth have them rattled here!
Are things about to go from bad to worse for Arsenal? Coquelin is down and needs treatment here and, with Elneny at the African Cup of Nations, that is not what Wenger needs right now.
ARSENAL SUB: Coquelin will not be able to continue here, and on comes Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in his place.
CLOSE! Arsenal's best attacking moment of the match so far comes as Sanchez picks out Ramsey just inside the area and the Wales international is given just about enough space to turn and shoot. His effort takes a slight deflection off Daniels on the way through, sending it just past the post.
YELLOW CARD! Bellerin is the first name in the book tonight for a scything challenge on Fraser after a couple of ricochets.
This could be more bad news for Arsenal as now Monreal doesn't appear to be moving freely. He is limping around, but it looks as though he will try to run the problem off, whatever it is.
Brilliant piece of defending from Mustafi as a long ball forward sets Wilson through on goal down the right channel. He breaks into the box and Mustafi takes a bit of a risk by diving in, but he makes a good, clean challenge.
SHOT! More good work from Bournemouth as Fraser, Daniels, Ake and King all combine to tee the ball up for Arter. The shot itself from the midfielder is skewed away to the right, but the Cherries are creating plenty of shooting opportunities here.
Arter stayed down after that shot and needs some treatment before limping off, but it looks as though he will be alright to continue.
What is it about Arsenal and January? This has been such an under-par display from the Gunners in the second half and they will need to improve a lot in the second half if they are to get back into this game.
CHANCE! A rare chance for Arsenal to pull a goal back before half time here! They make good progress down the right flank and Oxlade-Chamberlain cuts the ball back for Iwobi. However, the Arsenal midfielder seems to have one eye on Francis, whose sliding challenge puts him off enough for him to fire it wide when he should have done better.
YELLOW CARD! Cook is the first Bournemouth player to go into the book for a challenge on Sanchez.
There will be three minutes of stoppage time at the end of this first half.
CLOSE! Almost a third before half time for Bournemouth as Stanislas picks the ball up 25 yards from goal and wraps his foot right around the ball to send a curling effort towards the bottom corner which bounces just wide.
YELLOW CARD! Ramsey is the latest player in the book after a wrestling match with Wilson.
HALF TIME: Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal
Boos ring out from the away fans at the half-time whistle as Bournemouth go into the break with a 2-0 lead over Arsenal. The Cherries are worthy of their advantage too having been comfortably the better side in that opening 45 minutes, and Arsenal need a major improvement if they are to avoid a damaging defeat tonight.
The opening goal arrived after 17 minutes when Charlie Daniels was left in far too much space down the left channel, collecting a pass before cutting inside Bellerin and slotting his finish past Cech. Bellerin was at fault for affording the Bournemouth full-back too much room, and in his haste to get back he overcompensated and it was too easy for Daniels to slip past. Take nothing away from the finish from the Bournemouth man, though, as there was still a lot to do.
One quickly turned into two for the Cherries as they doubled their advantage just three minutes later, this time from the penalty spot. They broke quickly on the counter-attack following a poor free kick from Xhaka, who then bundled into Fraser just inside the area to give away the penalty. Callum Wilson stepped up and, just as he had in the reverse fixture between the two sides, he beat Cech from the spot.
It doesn't look promising for Arsenal on the back of that first-half display...
KICKOFF: Arsenal get us back underway for the second half as they look to drag themselves back into this match, and possibly keep themselves in the title race too.
Arsenal do seem to have come out for the second half with a little bit more fire about them. They are putting the pressure on Bournemouth in the opening stages here, and the hosts may need to weather a bit of a storm.
Good defending from Cook as he gets his head to the ball to clear a dangerous cross towards Giroud, and then King does really well to dribble the ball out and take the pressure off his side too. Eventually Wilson wins a free kick off Mustafi, and that should help Bournemouth to have a bit of a breather.
Another crucial interception from Cook as he steals the ball off the toe of Ramsey just as it looked as though the Welshman had danced his way into the box. It is backs to the wall stuff for Bournemouth at the start of this second half.
Concern for Giroud here as he catches the studs of King after making a challenge and looks in some pain. It is an impact injury, though, so he should be fine to continue.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Bournemouth think they have a third, but Michael Oliver is quick to deny it! A good cross into the box is punched out by Cech only as far as Arter, who hammers it towards goal. The shot looks to be going just wide until it hits Wilson and goes in, but the referee rules that it came off Wilson's hand. On first viewing it looks like he got that one right.
GOAL! Bournemouth 3-0 Arsenal (Ryan Fraser)
The hosts thought they had a third a couple of minutes ago, but this time they have the ball in the back of the net again and it will count! Bellerin does not cover himself in glory once again as Fraser manages to keep pace with the full-back while chasing a ball down the left channel. He gives Bellerin a little nudge in the back and the Spaniard goes to ground, but the referee allows play to continue as Fraser cuts inside. The angle is very much against him, but he manages to squeeze it through the legs of Cech and in. Surely there is no way back for Arsenal here?!
Almost an immediate chance for Arsenal to give themselves a lifeline as Sanchez jinks his way into shooting position, but three Bournemouth players throw themselves in the way of it and it deflects behind for a corner.
SAVE! Bournemouth aren't done here! They win a free kick in a decent position and Stanislas gets it up and over the wall, forcing Cech to get across and push it away.
BOURNEMOUTH SUB: The hosts make their first change of the evening as Andrew Surman replaces King.
ARSENAL SUBS: Arsenal respond with two subs of their own as Lucas Perez and Gabriel Paulista come on for Iwobi and, interestingly, Koscielny. The latter doesn't appear to be injured.
Bournemouth are not sitting back at all here. They want more, and the way both sides are playing I would not bet against them getting more. Fraser makes a brilliant break into the box, but Oxlade-Chamberlain thwarts him at the last with a crucial challenge. Very good tackle.
BOURNEMOUTH SUB: That will be Fraser's last action of the game as he limps off to be replaced by Adam Smith.
Giroud has already made headlines with a stunning goal once in what we have had of 2017, and he tries another with a bicycle kick here. The way Arsenal have played, though, it is no surprise that he completely misses the ball and a Bournemouth player blocks the follow-up.
GOAL! Bournemouth 3-1 Arsenal (Alexis Sanchez)
A glimmer of hope, perhaps? Arsenal pull a goal back through Sanchez, who now has 15 goals for the season, 10 of which have come on the road. A cross from the right is flicked on by Giroud in unorthodox style, and Sanchez is coming in at the back post to convert a diving header from close range. Arsenal have 20 minutes to salvage something from this game now.
That goal will have just put a bit of fear into these Bournemouth fans, who have fallen noticeably quiet since it went in. There is still the time for Arsenal to turn it around, but having played so poorly for 70 minutes they really don't deserve to do so.
SAVE! Giroud looks to build hope of a memorable comeback even more with a shot from range, but it is easy for Boruc to gather.
Sanchez thinks that he is in here as he collects the ball on the wrong side of the defence inside the area. However, just as it looks like he will have a good chance, the flag goes up for a handball.
GOAL! Bournemouth 3-2 Arsenal (Lucas Perez)
This one is not over yet, folks! Lucas Perez gets Arsenal right back into it with his first Premier League goal, and what a goal it is. Xhaka plays the ball into the box which Giroud flicks into the path of the Spaniard, who fires a superb first-time volley into the far corner.
This will be quite incredible if Arsenal manage to turn this one around. This has been one of their worst performances of the season, but in the space of five minutes they have completely turned the game on its head and now they have just under 15 minutes to complete what would be a remarkable turnaround.
Bournemouth just need to slow things down here and try to kill any Arsenal momentum. That is a lot easier said than done, of course, but it would be a very difficult one to take if they don't win this.
YELLOW CARD! Mustafi finally goes into the book after a string of fouls through the game, with a trip on Wilson being the one that sees him shown yellow.
CHANCE! Huge chance for Bournemouth to surely seal the win! It is a lovely move as Wilson plays a clever first-time pass in to Gosling, who suddenly finds himself in space with only the keeper to beat. However, he curls his effort just past the top corner.
RED CARD! Simon Francis (Bournemouth)
Big trouble for Bournemouth now! They will have to see this game out with only 10 men as Francis is shown a straight red card for a heavy challenge on Ramsey. He was a little high and followed through with his trailing leg, but that is a borderline one for me. It wasn't particularly reckless, but Oliver was in no doubt about the red card and the referee has got everything else right tonight.
Can Bournemouth see this one out now. Suddenly it looks like a big ask when just 15 minutes ago they seemed nailed on for a famous three points.
SHOT! Chance for Arsenal to get the equaliser as the ball is lifted in to Ramsey, who tries a first-time volley. It is a difficult one, though, and he doesn't catch it right as it goes wide.
Arsenal are piling the pressure on now, and I suspect it will be this way until the full-time whistle now. Bournemouth may not see much of it inside the Arsenal half from now on.
BOURNEMOUTH SUB: A third and final change for Bournemouth sees Brad Smith come on for Wilson.
The fourth official then switches his board to show SIX minutes of stoppage time! Still time for Arsenal!
GOAL! Bournemouth 3-3 Arsenal (Olivier Giroud)
Comeback complete from Arsenal! They rescue a point from the jaws of defeat and, having claimed two assists already, Giroud has his own name on the scoresheet. Xhaka lifts the ball into the box and Giroud glances a header into the bottom corner. Incredible scenes at the Vitality Stadium!
CHANCE! Bournemouth are suddenly pushing for a winner here in this incredible game! They get into the box on the right channel and Arter powers one towards goal from a tight angle, but Cech does well to push it away.
FULL TIME: Bournemouth 3-3 Arsenal
Wow. What a match that was. Before the game Bournemouth will have taken a draw I'm sure, but right now it must feel like a defeat for the hosts and a big, big victory for Arsenal. The Gunners seemed dead and buried following a lacklustre performance in the opening 70 minutes, with goals from Daniels, Wilson and Fraser leaving them three behind. However, Sanchez gave them hope with a 70th-minute diving head, and a stunning Lucas Perez volley then turned the possibility of a dramatic comeback into a likelihood. A red card for Simon Francis helped the visitors further, and Giroud finally sealed the memorable fightback in the second minute of injury time. Brilliant entertainment.
Right, that is all we have time for tonight! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for this six-goal thriller as Arsenal come from three goals down in the final 20 minutes to draw 3-3 in one of the great Premier League comebacks in recent memory. I will leave you with our match report - well worth a read for a recap of the madcap events here at the Vitality Stadium - and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
