Arsenal are licking their wounds after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday that has ramifications beyond this weekend.

While the Gunners could yet still slip to fourth, they know for certain that they will welcome current Premier League leaders Liverpool next Sunday without William Saliba. His straight red card was wrought via a VAR review, with the defender initially being given a caution.

Despite some online suggestions, PGMOL chief Howard Webb did not have any part to play in the sending off. The clarification comes after TV cameras showed the former official in the Vitality Stadium stands using an earpiece to listen in to the VAR feed.

It was a drab night for Arsenal, who also conceded a penalty in the second half to allow Bournemouth to net their final goal of the contest on 79 minutes. One former player noted Mikel Arteta's subdued body language while another has delivered harsh comments for very different reasons.

'Arsenal never gave me chance I deserved' Former academy product Charlie Patino says he feels Arsenal did not give him ample opportunity to prove himself at the club before his PS1million summer exit to Deportivo La Coruna.

The former Blackpool and Swansea City loanee is currently playing the Spanish second tier after deciding to pursue prolonged first-team football elsewhere. He has so far only made a seven-minute cameo for his new club.

However, he does not regret his decision to leave the Gunners. "The timing wasn't meant to be at Arsenal," Patino, who made two senior appearances for Arsenal, reasoned to the Guardian.

"It is what it is. Some don't get what they want and go and thrive somewhere else and that's OK. I don't have any regrets. I just feel sometimes I wanted to be involved more. I felt I didn't really get the communication or pathway I wanted or felt I deserved. But that's life.

"And [even] if that door doesn't open, you're bettering yourself, giving yourself a better opportunity to play at a high level. Arsenal are not the only football club in the world. There are hundreds of teams competing at the highest level."

football.london says:Patino is surely not the first former academy star to feel such a way but is one of scarce few who are brave enough to voice their disgruntlement. To his credit, he has been reasonable as well as honest.

It will be hard for academy staff to hear such words, and they will rightly point to the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah as some of their successes. Ultimately, it's up to Patino to prove the Gunners were wrong to sell him.

Petit: Arteta seemed quiet Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit meanwhile noted that Arteta looked less animated than usual in the club's defeat to Bournemouth. The Gunners had to play with 10 men for an hour as a result of Saliba's dismissal and largely failed to excite.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, Petit commented: "Even Arteta looked quiet on the bench. Usually, he screams at his players to show energy all the time. To try to impact his players and talk to them every single second. He looked very quiet."

football.london says:The game was also going to be tough once Arsenal went a man down and that perhaps reflected the mood of Arteta. It wasn't as if the Gunners boss was stuck on the bench all game, though, he was active. Maybe we are just used to his animated mannerisms that when they are toned down slightly, it becomes noticeable.

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