Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth: 4 talking points as Gunners rocked on eve of PSG showdown | OneFootball

Arsenal slumped to a bitterly disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth on Saturday evening.

Mikel Arteta declined the chance to rest his big names but thought his risk had paid off when Declan Rice put Arsenal ahead midway through the first half. But two set-piece goals after the break from Dean Huijsen and Evanilson saw them slump to a miserable defeat, sending the home supporters away with a headache they won't have seen coming.

How the game unfolded

With Arsenal's Premier League dream put to bed last weekend, there was a noticeable number of empty seats around the Emirates Stadium, with absent Gunners fans perhaps more interested in a trip to Paris Saint-Germain for the Champions League semi-final second leg in midweek.

Bournemouth saw some early success down the wings but the first real sight of goal fell to Rice 15 minutes in. The midfielder drifted in behind but could only lash his strike across Kepa Arrizabalaga's goal and out of play.

Rice saw another half-chance soon after and proved to be his side's greatest attacking threat in the first half, later crashing towards the goal-line to force Illia Zabarnyi into an awkward, yet impressive, clearance.

Evanilson should have put Bournemouth ahead after 25 minutes. Milos Kerkez's box found the Brazilian alone in the middle of the penalty area, but he could not control his header and sent the ball flying over David Raya's bar with Bournemouth's first touch of the ball inside Arsenal's box.

Gabriel Martinelli was next to drag wide, before Kepa got down well to catch Leandro Trossard's header on the line - the first shot on target of the game. It was not long after, however, that Rice finally marked his 100th appearance for the club by rounding Kepa and powering home in the 34th minute.

Arsenal pushed for a second goal to begin the second half, with Bukayo Saka significantly more involved in proceedings. The winger fizzed wide ten minutes after the restart, and that miss was punished when Huijsen tied things up soon after.

The in-demand Spaniard, who was born in the Netherlands, rose highest from a monstrous long throw and nodded cooly past Raya with what was Bournemouth's first shot on target.

Less than ten minutes later and Bournemouth were celebrating a second goal from a set piece. A whipped corner found its way through to Evanilson at the back post, and his scrappy effort squirmed beyond Raya and into the back of the net.

Arsenal offered almost nothing in response, with Bournemouth comfortably seeing out the game to inflict a first home defeat on the Gunners in a game which they were leading at half-time in over three years.

Arteta goes strong despite looming PSG threat

Arteta opted against taking risks / IMAGO / Paul Marriott

Needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, many expected manager Mikel Arteta to rest most of his big names and take the risk of losing here.

The boss clearly did not share that sentiment, making just two changes to his starting lineup, one of which was enforced. Thomas Partey returned from his European suspension to start in place of Mikel Merino, while the injured Jurrien Timber was replaced by Ben White.

It was a significant risk from Arteta. Arsenal's Premier League title dreams are over but the threat of dropping down to third is clearly weighing on the boss, who is now looking at the sight of Manchester City just three points behind. The chances of them falling out of the top five are next to none, but crucially, their spot in next season's Champions League is not yet assured with three games to go.

PSG, for their part, were in action 90 minutes earlier on Saturday. Luis Enrique's Ligue 1 champions made a total of ten changes, falling to a 2-1 defeat to Strasbourg but keeping his star names fresh for Wednesday's second leg.

Rice marks his century in style

Rice was his side's star / IMAGO / Paul Marriott

Mikel Merino stole the headlines as a stand-in striker earlier this season, but Rice did his best to ensure he gets the nod up top next time out.

The midfielder played a Jude Bellingham-esque role which saw him given the freedom to fly forwards and get into the box, with Leandro Trossard's rotation freeing up the space needed for the tactical tweak work. On his 100th appearance for Arsenal, he could have easily had two or three goals in a dominant first-half showing.

With eight goals across all competitions, this is now Rice's finest season in front of net, and he will hope to add to that tally in Paris on Wednesday.

Set-piece woes haunt Arsenal again

Arsenal are shaky at the back / IMAGO / Action Plus

For all that was made of Arsenal's ability to score from set pieces during the first half of the season, they have looked equally as inept recently when it comes to defending them.

A long throw and a corner proved to be Arsenal's downfall here, as has been the case far too often in recent months. There appears to be a lack of organisation for which the Gunners are getting punished.

The loss of the injured Gabriel Magalhaes, one of the most reliable figures in the box, has undoubtedly not helped Arsenal's cause, but a solution needs to be found soon. This is a weakness which any side on the planet can exploit with some good fortune.

Bournemouth's European hopes live on

Bournemouth could still reach Europe / IMAGO / Sportimage

Having been riding as high as fifth just over two months ago, Bournemouth have done their best to tumble into an all-out scrap for a spot in any European competition next season.

It looked like their hopes of even reaching the Conference League may be fading here - Aston Villa and Manchester City will be two tough opponents in the coming weeks - but a composed comeback has left Bournemouth right on the fringes of the European places.

Eighth could be good enough for a spot in the third-tier competition, and that's where the Cherries end the day.

Check out the player ratings from Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth here.