Arsenal vs Bournemouth Player Ratings from Los Angeles
Find out who impressed after Arsenal beat Bournemouth 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw here in Los Angeles
Hello, Happy Thursday from Los Angeles!
I’m writing this from the LA Galaxy press box moments after Arsenal beat Bournemouth 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.
Fabio Vieira notched the Gunners goal in the first half, before Antoine Semenyo levelled with a looping effort past Karl Hein on 72 minutes.
Find out who impressed at the Dignity Health Sports Park with my exclusive Player Ratings - which I’ll be running after every Arsenal match this season.
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Btw, for those of you on here who come for my travelogue, you’ll have a treat/not a treat (*delete as applicable) with two days’ worth of LA experiences to come later if that sort of thing floats your boat.
In the meantime, read on for my exclusive Arsenal Player Ratings hot from the press box here at LA Galaxy.
Fabio Vieira pictured after scoring Arsenal’s goal during the 1-1 draw here in Los Angeles. CREDIT: Picture courtesy of Arsenal FC
Arsenal 1-1 (5-4 on pens) Bournemouth as Gunners begin their US tour in LA
Jakub Kiwior hits the winning penalty as Arsenal beat Cherries 5-4 on spot-kicks after Fabio Vieira scores in 1-1 draw over 90 minutes here in Los Angeles
Player Ratings:
Karl Hein: 7/10 - Good to see Mikel Arteta show faith in the 22-year-old by selecting the Estonian as first choice keeper in the absence of Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya due to their Euro 2024 exploits, but the former Arsenal Academy graduate looked shaky on crosses. Was also beaten by Dominic Solanke’s powerful drive that thudded off the bar on the half hour, and perhaps could have done more to prevent Semenyo’s leveller even if it did loop up and over for 1-1. Redeemed himself with an excellent save from Solanke during the penalty shootout.
Jurrien Timber: 7/10 - Wonderful to see the talented Dutch defender return to Arsenal colours following his near-season long ACL injury. Booked in the second half
Ben White: 7/10 - Good to note the defender made a return to first team action after being well-rested this summer following his exile from the England team at Euro 2024. A big season ahead
Ayden Heaven: 7/10 - Always available to take and receive a pass, despite the lack of space at times.
Myles Lewis-Skelly: 7/10 - Impressed during Arsenal U18s run to the FA Youth Cup final two seasons ago, while keeping his performance levels high last term to be awarded an improved deal – which, unlike a few contemporaries from his youth side, he happily signed, determined to make an impact at first team level during the forthcoming season. His commitment shone against the Cherries. Good to see.
Thomas Partey: 6.5/10 - Many questions surround the former Atletico Madrid midfielder. Not least will the 31-year-old actually be at the club come August 17 – and if so, does boss Arteta think the experienced Ghana international can stay fit alongside the influential Declan Rice for what could be a momentous campaign
Oulad M’Hand Salah: 6/10 - Struggled to make an impact in the opening 45 minutes before boss Arteta replaced the young attacker with club captain Martin Odegaard
Ethan Nwaneri: 6.5/10 - Flitted in and out of the match while displaying vision, flair, verve and technique. Another with high hopes for this season
Fabio Vieira: 7/10 - Slotted home with aplomb to put the Gunners ahead
Reiss Nelson: 6.5/10 - Will surely have added further value to his transfer value following his assist for Fabio Vieria’s well-taken goal on 18 minutes
Eddie Nketiah: 6/10 - Tested Cherries keeper and captain Neto five minutes before half time. But you do wonder whether the Lambeth-born striker will still be at the club come the Premier League opener against Wolves on August 17, given his habitual misfiring last term.
Substitutes:
Martin Odegaard: 7/10 - Replaced Salah during the interval
Omar Rekik: 5/10 - Lost possesion prior to Semenyo's leveller but will be better for the experience
Jakub Kiwior: 7/10 - Smashed home the penalty winner and looked sharp after coming on just after the hour mark
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 7/10 - Dovetailed well with Odegaardf during his cameo appearance and cooly slotted home his penalty
Jorginho: 7/10 - Operated for nearly half an hour at the base of the midfield to steer young colleagues to the final whistle
Charles Sagoe Jr: 6.5/10 - Lively but raw. Will be looking to kick on with the first team next term after making his League Cup bow last season
Gabriel Jesus: 7/10 - Looked sharp in his No9 role
Leandro Trossard: 6.5/10 - Hit the post during the shootout as the Belgium made his first appearance since the Euros
Josh Nichols: N/A
Jimi Gower: N/A
My view from the LA Galaxy press box during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth here in Carson on the outskirts of Los Angeles. CREDIT:
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After a hectic and sometimes gruelling four weeks on the road with England I’m really excited about covering Arsenal during the 2024-25.season.
One that I deeply hope will finally see the Gunners lift the league title for the first time in 22 long years.
I plan to cover every single game home and away and all over Europe, not to mention plenty of the women’s matches as well as academy games, as well as the majority of pre and post match press conferences including London Colney in my role as a sports journalist for the Morning Star newspaper -so I hope you’ll join me in what will be a rollercoaster ride.
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See you on Saturday at Arsenal vs Manchester United here in Los Angeles, and stay tuned for more dispatches from this remarkable town.
Cheers
Layth
The loyal Arsenal support during the 1-1 draw vs Bournemouth at LA Galaxy. CREDIT:
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My official Morning Star newspaper on the whistle match report from the LA Galaxy press box here in Los Angeles
Arsenal 1-1 (5-4 on pens) Bournemouth as Gunners begin their US tour in LA
Jakub Kiwior hits the winning penalty as Arsenal beat Cherries 5-4 on spot-kicks after Fabio Vieira scores in 1-1 draw
Arsenal 1–1 (5-4 on penalties) Bournemouth: Report by Layth Yousif from LA Galaxy, Los Angeles
Carson County, California might be an unusual place to commence the quest to end the club’s 22-year wait for the coveted Premier League title, but on a balmy evening on the outskirts of Los Angeles, Mikel Arteta’s experimental Arsenal side started their pre-season tour of the United States of America with a draw against Bournemouth.
An early strike by Fabio Vieira was cancelled out by Antoine Semenyo’s second half effort for Andoni Iraola's Cherries during a 1-1 draw at David Beckham’s former MLS club, LA Galaxy.
Following the draw the teams took part in a penalty shootout in which the Gunners edged past Bournemouth 5-4, with Jakub Kiwior emphatically slotting home the winning spot-kick.
The Gunners hybrid team of experience and callow youth were held against a more experienced Cherries side, which contained Dominic Solanke up front.
It was Solanke who fashioned the first chance, firing over Karl Hein in the Arsenal goal in the 12th minute.
In a friendly match played at an understandably pedestrian pace at times, the Gunners were to go ahead six minutes later. Fabio Vieira firing home from Reiss Nelson’s cross to put the North Londoners 1-0 up – much to the delight of the thousands of Gooners assembled at the 27,000 stadium who had travelled from near and far.
The Gunners once again made the long trip across the Atlantic for another popular summer Stateside tour, which also includes fixtures against Manchester United in Los Angeles on Saturday, and Liverpool in Philadelphia next Wednesday.
Arteta headed to the USA with a 26-man squad missing Euro 2024 heroes Aaron Ramsdale, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba or David Raya - who are all set to return after the Stateside trip, following their exertions in Germany this summer.
Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz were also absent against the Cherries, thanks to their participation in Copa America and Euro 2024 respectively. They are pencilled in to join up with Arteta's squad on July 25.
Arsenal also omitted Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kiernan Tierney from the travelling squad and the pair remain in London due to injury.
With Ramsdale and Raya absent, Karl Hein, Arenal’s 22-year-old Estonian keeper who signed a new, long-term deal a few weeks ago, started the match.
England absentee Ben White also started – with the Gunners defender possibly pleased that Gareth Southgate’s No2 Steve Holland is also departing from the Three Lions set-up, given his exile from the national team said to be due to differences with the former Arsenal coach. Ayden Heaven also featured in a young backline, along with long-term absentee Jurrien Timber.
Cherries’ striker Solanke proved to be a constant thorn in the Gunners backline, nearly levelling on the half hour when his powerful drive evaded Hein, but the ball cannoned off the bar and away to safety.
In a low-key opening 45 minutes, Eddie Nketiah tested Cherries keeper Neto five minutes before the interval, but the former Juventus shot-stopper gathered.
Iraola's Cherries started their pre-season in Santa Barbara last weekend, with Marcos Senesi’s goal earning a 1-1 draw with celebrity-driven Wrexham. And it was the side from the south coast of England that started the second half brightly on the west coast of America – with substitute Dango Ouattara testing Hein on 50 minutes.
This progressive side from the south coast will be aiming to build upon an eye-catching debut season under Iraola, after they finished 12th following Gary O’Neil's unexpected departure – and they certainly caught the eye against the Gunners on Wednesday evening.
Following a raft of changes made by both sides, which included seven made by Arteta, Bournemouth equalised through Antoine Semenyo. The Cherries’ No24, who had such an excellent season last term, saw his shot loop over Gunners keeper Hein and into the net with 18 minutes remaining.
For Iraola, their creditable draw against Arsenal is their final fixture in the States before they return to play La Liga duo Rayo Vallecano and Girona ahead of their Premier League opener away at Nottingham Forest on August 17.
Never mind this result, the clash was all about gaining match fitness, form and rhythm ahead of Arsenal's all-important Premier League opener against Wolves – which comes after the club hosts friendlies against Granit Xhaka's Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, August 7, as well as Lyon on Sunday, August 1.
However, first on the horizon will be Erik ten Hag’s United this weekend here in LA in a friendly one hopes will be more gripping than the 1-1 draw against a redoubtable Cherries side.
And so it passed that Arsenal’s hopes of ending a 22-year-old wait for the Premier League title officially began on the West Coast of America with an instantly forgotten draw over 90 minutes ahead of what many in red and white will hope to be a momentous season.
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