Declan Rice says Arsenal were “naive” in loss to Bournemouth that seen them lose ground in the Premier League.
Declan Rice says Arsenal showed naivety as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Goals from Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert meant that Mikel Arteta’s side were handed their first loss of the season. This was only the second time that Bournemouth have beaten Arsenal in the Premier League.
After pulling down Evanilson, Saliba was originally given a yellow card; however, VAR later increased it to a red card. While it is believed that he was only listening in on the match officials’ communications, television video from the Vitality Stadium showed PGMOL chief Howard Webb at the scene perusing an earphone as VAR made the call.
Saliba, a defender from France, was sent off in Arsenal’s first eight league games of the current season, making him ineligible for the team’s encounter against league leaders Liverpool at the Emirates next weekend.
“We’ve kicked ourselves in the foot three times in eight games and we got away with it at home to Brighton and away at Manchester City,” said Rice.
“I’m proud of the players for fighting, even with 10 men, but the naivety … We need to stop making mistakes because you want 11 players for 90 minutes and that’s what wins you football matches. With 10 men we showed a lot of character and personality to stay in the game. We can’t make silly mistakes. You need all your best players on the pitch at all times. The belief is so high and we will stick together. This is football, whatever happens the most important thing is that you stick together and stay in the right direction.”