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Arsenal and Bournemouth played out a pulsating draw on the south coast with end-to-end football that was exciting to watch. In Mikel Arteta's first match as a manager, the former Arsenal captain opted to start Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette in the starting eleven, unlike what Freddie Ljungberg had done. His efforts paid off as the Gunners started the game more aggressive than ever and enjoyed their fair share of chances in the first half.
Against the run of play, Bournemouth opened the scoring when Dan Gosling poked the ball into the net from close range. Despite a brilliant start, the Gunners found themselves a goal down at the end of the first 45 minutes. 18 minutes after the restart, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalised to give the team a confidence booster.
Ultimately, neither side was able to find the winning goal and both teams had to share points. Here are three talking points from the match.
#3 Mikel Arteta's tenure starts with a draw
There were some positive signs in the early stages of the first-half with Ozil at the heart of every attacking move. The German's spirited performance meant that he had created many chances for his team-mates such as Alexandre Lacazette and Reiss Nelson. However, the forwards fluffed their lines in the final third and their shots went well over the crossbar.
In comparison with the Cherries, Arsenal had 17 shots (six more than their opponents). However, by the end of the match, the scoreline was level at 1-1 and the Gunners had a mere two shots on target. There is still work to be done and the Gunners need to be more clinical in front of the goal.
When Unai Emery took over Arsene Wenger's position last season, he lost his first Premier League fixture to Manchester City. Following that, when Ljungberg took over as the interim manager, he drew his first league match. Likewise, Arteta has failed to win his first game as the Arsenal manager.
#2 Nicolas Pepe benched again
It has been four months since Nicolas Pepe joined Arsenal and it appears that the winger is still unable to adapt to the rigour of playing in the Premier League. Since the start of November, Pepe has only completed the full 90 minutes in one Premier League match and that happened during Arsenal's defeat to Manchester City.
In Ljungberg's last game in charge, the 24-year-old was left on the bench against Everton. Similarly, for Arteta's first game as the new manager, the Spaniard opted to start Nelson instead of Pepe who featured only for the last few minutes of the match.
It is time to question Pepe's physicality and whether the Gunners made the right call in investing £72 million on a player only for him to become a benchwarmer. The fans have seen his ability to take set-pieces and Arteta should capitalise on Pepe's strengths.
#1 Finishing in the top four looks increasingly impossible
The early kick-off saw Tottenham secure all three points against Brighton & Hove Albion to move up to fifth. Thereafter, with Chelsea's loss to Southampton and Sheffield United's draw with Watford, it meant that the race for top four is getting more and more tightly contested.
On the other hand, Arsenal are falling further and further behind the pack. Sitting 11th in the Premier League, the Gunners have now drawn nine matches in 19. They have the most number of draws in the Premier League and even Arteta wasn't able to rectify the situation at the first time of asking.
There is simply no room for the North London team to finish in the top six, needless to say about ending the season in the top four. In hindsight, this is Arteta's first game in charge. Hopefully, the board's trust in the 37-year-old will soon pay off.
