Arsenal 3-2 Bournemouth: Mikel Arteta calls win ‘our most-emotional moment’ | Paul Merson: Gunners champions if they win next three | Football News

Paul Merson says if Arsenal win their next three Premier League games they will win the title as Mikel Arteta called their dramatic victory over Bournemouth “the most emotional moment”.

In a game that could prove decisive in the title race, Arsenal went down from 2-0 against the relegation-threatened Cherries to win 3-2 thanks to Reiss Nelson’s best in the 97th minute.

They see Arsenal maintain their five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the league – who beat Newcastle 2-0 in Saturday’s opening game – with 12 games to play.

Sky Sports pundit and former Gunners striker Merson believes Arsenal will win the title after their comeback – especially if they win their next three league games.

They face Fulham away next Sunday, stay on Sky Sportswith home games against Crystal Palace and Leeds to follow.

“I think we won the league,” Merson told Soccer Saturday. “They continued to advance and did not know when they were hit, four [Premier League wins] on the trot and you have to remember to play them before they start winning that game.

“They lost 1-0 at Villa after 10 minutes of not winning in three games, only to be beaten by Man City and they’re back.

“He has been very good and the next three games will be decided for me. If he wins, I don’t see how he doesn’t win.

“After Senesi’s score [for Bournemouth’s second], you think the worst way out here is 2-2. Then [Thomas] Score Party and [Benjamin] White score, provided by Reiss Nelson. And what is the purpose of them.

“Bournemouth probably had better chances in the stages. They didn’t pick the right passes in attack. They will be broken in the dressing room.

“But what I like about Arsenal is that they go forward, they go inside you. When the ball goes into the box, there are not many players in the box, they go out of the box more to keep pressing. in, then the ball goes out and they come back.

Arteta: The most emotional moment | ‘I started running and didn’t know where I was!’

It was another game that proved the resilience and ‘never say die’ attitude of the young team Arteta has instilled in Arsenal.

With a beaming smile, he described how his side had come from behind to win the match at the Emirates, and pointed to it as an important moment for the club.

“This is probably the loudest and most emotional moment we’ve ever had,” he said. “The journey we’ve been on and how the supporters and the team have come together, adding to the important moments we’ve had today, is very special.

“Everyone was probably a bit overwhelmed. It was madness from the first second of the game regularly that we knew we could do and we defended very well.

“Then we had to climb the mountain with 10 players behind the ball. We tried everything, we didn’t score and suddenly we lost 2-0 with replays.

“After that, we didn’t lose shape, we didn’t lose discipline and started doing everything simple and tried to score the first goal. We showed maturity and endurance to do that. The atmosphere changed and the energy.

“After we scored the second number, it was ‘OK, let’s throw the toys out and go to it’. Subs made a big impact today, I’m very happy for Reiss after the difficult month he’s had.

“I think teams and individuals show that they have a different level of will to win, determination and initiative, because when the game goes bad, there are moments when you can lose momentum. You can start to hide and navigate through the game. .

“But the players didn’t do that. They wanted the game, every time they had the ball, they took risks, took the initiative and kept trying until we broke. It was good to see from the team.

“[When the winner went in] you lose sight of where you are. I started running and I don’t know where I ran! But just to see everyone’s faces, the staff, the players, the supporters with the happiness in their eyes, it’s the joy of life.

“It was an amazing day, a great experience at the end. Very dramatic, but worth living because it was a good end.”

Saturday’s win capped off an important week of Premier League games for Arsenal, having also beaten Leicester and Everton in the past seven days.

He is a strong leader at the top of the table, and Arteta is happy to see his team win in different ways.

He added Sky Sports: “It’s just another game and three more points. To win three in a week in this league is very difficult. We’ve done it and you have to win the game in different ways. I hope that will give us more confidence.

“We want to stay there [at the top of the table] but obviously it will take a lot of effort. There are still a lot of games to play and the Premier League, unfortunately every game is like that, but it’s the best.

Nelson: My eyes lit up when the ball came out for the winner

Nelson’s winner came not only at a perfect moment for the team, but also for the player himself. He has been sidelined with a thigh injury, and has been left out of the last two Premier League squads.

He also added an assist for Benjamin White’s equalizer and has now been involved in more goals than any other player in the Premier League this season – scoring three from the bench and assisting two.

The Arsenal striker said Sky Sports after the game: “It felt amazing. When the ball came out, my eyes lit up.

“It’s been a tough few months for me coming back from injury. Everyone knows how hard I work in the background, so when the goal went in, everyone went crazy and it was a great moment for me.

“I’ve been here all my life and Arsenal means a lot to me. At the end of the day, we want to win games and team sports. That’s what we see and I’m happy to be a part of that.

“Yes [Arteta] told me to stay wide, use strength to go one v one with full-back. That’s what I’m looking forward to so I’m happy with the assists and the goals…it’s a good strike and hopefully the first of many.

Manager Arteta was also pleased with Nelson’s performance, saying: “I’m very happy with him because the last few months he’s been injured and the last two games he’s not in the squad.

“That’s what you need from a player – to come in and keep working and have the will to make an impact on the game. He did that with assists and goals, so I’m very happy with him.

“If he was put on the training pitch and 50 times, he might not have scored, but he did it at the perfect time for the team and he deserved it.”

As a former striker, Merson was also impressed with the winner, adding: “If he had played another 500 games, I don’t think he would have scored a better goal. It was all about that – the last kick of the game went out and he had all the time in the world. He had a free shot, he created himself and it was a very good goal.

O’Neill was disappointed but praised Bournemouth’s effort

For Bournemouth, it was a painful end to a stunning performance against the Premier League’s top club.

It also started well for the Cherries, as Phillip Billing scored the second fastest goal in league history when he headed home after nine seconds.

Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil praised the efforts of his side, who remain in the relegation zone after last night’s defeat.

“I thought we gave ourselves a good deal against the best team in the country,” O’Neil told Sky Sports.

“Everyone who comes here will be sent easily. No, but I’m very disappointed for the group and everyone who suffered in the last seconds. It’s gone.

“I don’t know when [Arsenal’s winner] in, maybe a little over the allotted time, but we still have to look out the corner anyway. We had some moments, Arsenal were very dominant with the ball and the players defended well, we couldn’t keep up.

“The kick-off routine was one of the things we did. We scored two goals from a good game and should have scored a couple more on the counter.

“To suffer a 3-2 defeat in the nature that we’re in is disappointing, but I’m sure that when the dust settles and we see it in full, it took Arsenal so far with the type of form we’re in. and the team is, and where we are and where we’ve been for the last few years , it’s a big effort from everyone.

“Guys will be injured, like me, for the next few hours or maybe a bit longer. But Liverpool come next week and we will be ready.”