Arsenal vs Bournemouth: Why Evanilson’s Goal Was Awarded Despite Clear Handball
- Bournemouth scored a controversial winner to complete a first-ever Premier League double over Arsenal on May 3
- Evanilson scored in the 75th minute to complete the turnaround at the Emirates Stadium and compound Arsenal's woes
- Arsenal's hold on the second-place position on the log is now increasingly under pressure with three games to go
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The Premier League has come out to explain why Bournemouth's goal against Arsenal was awarded despite a 'clear' handball by Evanilson.
Source: UGC
Arsenal vs Bournemouth match report
Arsenal's inconsistent end to the 2024/2025 Premier League season continued after they suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Cherries on Saturday evening.
It was far from an ideal preparation for their match against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Despite the upcoming acid test in Paris, Mikel Arteta elected to go with his full squad rather than rest a few key players.
Declan Rice continued his recent good goal contributions form after he finished off a nicely threaded pass from Martin Odegaard in the 34th minute.
Bournemouth came back strong in the second half and turned the game on its head thanks to some brilliant pieces of set pieces. Chelsea and Real Madrid target Dean Huijsen turned in a throw-in past David Raya to equalise proceedings in the 67th minute.
Evanilson added a second one minutes later after Justin Kluivert flicked a corner to his path for the Brazilian to tap it home. The goal required a lengthy VAR check to stand, leaving Arsenal fans infuriated as Evanilson appeared to touch the ball with his elbow first, which is a handball offence.
Why Evanilson's goal vs Bournemouth was given
Replays show that the ball touched his elbow as he wrestled with Odegaard in the far corner. However, in a statement, the Premier League explained that the goal was given as there was 'conclusive evidence' not to.
"The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR, with no conclusive evidence that Evanilson handled the ball before scoring," they said in an X statement.
Speaking after the game, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta disagreed with the decision.
"I've just seen a few images and it looks very different to the decision, but they made that decision."
Will Arsenal slip out of the Champions League places?
The defeat marked the first time in 38 Premier League games that Arsenal had lost a game after scoring first. The loss also opened them to the possible danger of losing second place to a revitalised Manchester City or Newcastle United. The former champions are just three points behind Arsenal with three games to go.
Apart from the second place, there is a real danger that Arsenal might fail to qualify for the Champions League. Though highly unlikely, the Gunners are not mathematically safe, as only seven points separate them from seventh-placed Aston Villa with three games to go.
What next for Arsenal?
Up next for them will be the trip to Paris, which will be very pivotal in their season. The Gunners trail by only one goal as they seek to reach their first Champions League final since 2006.
Source: Getty Images
Arteta called on his charges to turn the rage they had after losing to Bournemouth into triumph against Luis Enrique's men.
"We certainly wanted to create a really good vibe, a positive result would really help us to build what we wanted towards Wednesday. So what we have created now is a lot of rage, anger, frustration and a bad feeling in the tummy. So make sure that we use that for Wednesday to have a massive performance in Paris, win the game and be in the final," he said as captured on Arsenal's website.
Supercomputer predicts Champions League winner
TUKO.co.ke earlier reported that Opta's supercomputer predicted the Champions League winner after this week's results.
After their epic win at the Emirates Stadium, PSG were given a 41.9% chance of winning it, while Barcelona are the second favourites with a 25.8% chance.
Inter Milan, who drew 3-3 away against Barcelona, are the third favourites with 20.2%, while the Gunners have 12.1%.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
