Arsenal left counting cost of naivety against Bournemouth, says Declan Rice

Declan Rice pointed out that Arsenal's "naivety" ended up being very costly as they faced their first loss of the season following William Saliba's red card in the match against Bournemouth.

Before their trip to the south coast, Arsenal had triumphed in 10 out of their last 12 away matches in the Premier League during 2024. However, they were ultimately defeated by two goals scored in the second half by Bournemouth substitutes Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert. Saliba received a yellow card for fouling Evanilson, which was later changed to a red card after a VAR review. Footage from the game showed Howard Webb, the head of PGMOL, at the Vitality Stadium listening through an earpiece as the VAR decision was made, but reports indicate that he was simply monitoring the communication from the officiating team.

Saliba won't be available for next weekend's match against league leaders Liverpool at the Emirates. The French defender has now joined two other Arsenal players who have received red cards in the first eight league games of the season.

"We’ve made mistakes three times in our eight matches, but we were lucky to escape without punishment at home against Brighton and during the away game at Manchester City," Rice explained.

"I'm really proud of the players for their determination, even when we were down to 10 men, but there are still some naive errors we need to address. It's essential to avoid making mistakes because having all 11 players on the field for the full 90 minutes is crucial for winning matches. Despite being one man short, we demonstrated great character and resilience to keep competing. We can't afford to make careless mistakes; it's important to have all our key players available throughout the game. Our belief is strong, and we'll support each other. In football, no matter what happens, the key is to stay united and focused on our shared goals."

Mikel Arteta recognized that his team needs to work on their discipline if they aim to compete for the title once more.

"It was inevitable that we would miss out on points," stated the Arsenal manager. "We have to take responsibility – mistakes are a part of football, and unfortunately, two major blunders have hurt us. But clearly, we need to compete with all 11 players on the field if we want to achieve our goals."

Arsenal will take on Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday and then host Liverpool on Sunday. Arteta, who missed key players Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard due to injury in the match against Bournemouth, emphasized the importance of bouncing back quickly from this setback to get their season back on course.

"Let’s channel the disappointment we're experiencing right now for Tuesday's match," he stated. "It's not about wallowing in self-pity and saying, ‘Oh, this has happened again’ or ‘We've lost three times in eight games.' We’re without our captain and one of our top players, Jurrien [Timber]. Complaining won’t get us anywhere. Let’s redirect that energy. The players deserve our support for their effort and determination. We’ll go for it again on Tuesday, and that’s all we need to focus on."