A sobering Saturday night in Bournemouth saw Arsenal record their first league defeat of the season, and their first Premier League loss on the road in 2024.

A first-half red card for William Saliba forced the Gunners to play an hour with ten men, unable to prevent a spirited Bournemouth side from capatalising on their numerical advantage.

An unnecessary and unneeded result leaves Mikel Arteta with much to think about as he prepares for Arsenal's Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk, as we aim to highlight some of the potential lessons learnt.

Arsenal MUST buck their red card trend Early in Arteta's reign as the Gunners boss, one of the manager's major limitations was the seemingly inexistent squad discipline, with players regularly being booked or even sent off for petty, unnecessary reasons.

The Spaniard managed to extinguish this from his Arsenal side as the years went on, taming players who were historically known to become easily aggravated in the heat of battle, such as Granit Xhaxa.

However, three red cards in the Gunners' last six Premier League games makes for eye-opening reading, especially when those are the only matches Arsenal have dropped points in this season.

Early season complacency ultimately cost Arteta's side the title last year, with the 42-year-old vowing not to let his team make the same mistakes this year.

But they have.

Two dismissals for delaying the restart, despite the controversy, can't be afforded in a title race especially when they both happened during moments in the game where Arsenal were leading.

Come May, these red card woes may be forgotten, if Arsenal get over the line and finally reclaim the Premier League title.

Yet, if they don't, how many more excuses can be made for the Gunners?

Inexperience in 22/23, a slow start in 23/24, and now discipline issues in 24/25.

The season is long, and there are sure to still be many more twists and turns on the path to the championship, but Arsenal cannot afford to keep making these mistakes.

Saka was sorely missed Despite all of Bukayo Saka's obvious footballing benefits, the winger's best trait is arguably his almost constant availability.

Over the past few years, the 23-year-old has been up for selection for almost every match and has maintained his incredibly high standards throughout.

However, during England's recent Nations League defeat to Greece, Saka suffered a hamstring injury and was sidelined for the remainder of the international break.

Areta was notoriously hush about his star man's fitness heading into the weekend but as the lineups were announced on Saturday afternoon, a notable absentee was obvious.

Summer signing Raheem Sterling started at right-wing replacing Saka but couldn't impact the game in the same fashion as his fellow countryman.

With Liverpool up next, in a game looking increasingly important for the early season title race, hopes may fall on Bukayo Saka's availability once again.

Squad depth is still Arsenal's Achilles heel Over the past few years, as Arsenal have challenged for their fourth Premier League title, squad depth has often been brought up as a clear difference between Manchester City and the Gunners.

In the 22/23 campaign, an injury to Saliba ultimately cost Arsenal the Premier League title, due to the fact that Arteta had no sufficient replacement for the defender.

Last season, a lack of trust in his squad meant that the Gunners boss didn't rotate his squad often, leading to tired performances at times and overall, a drained squad come May.

Naturally, fans and critics alike pointed to the summer transfer window as an opportunity to bolster the team, add quality in areas around the pitch to avoid the scenario repeating itself.

They did this in midfield, adding Mikel Merino, but instead of opting to sign a replacement for Saliba, Riccardo Calafiori was bought instead at left-back.

Despite the Italian proving to be an excellent buy, Jakub Kiwior is still the main rotation in central defence, with the Pole looking below the required level against Bournemouth.

Similarly, a Sterling still recovering to full-fitness was Saka's replacement, with the threat level dramatically reduced down the right-wing.

With Arteta speaking before the season about his willingness to compete for as many trophies as possible this year, squad rotation won't be a choice, it will be a necessity.

If the drop-off in quality is as severe as it was against Bournemouth, the wait for another Premier League title may continue for the Gunners.

Game-winning moments must be converted Any Arsenal fan will remember Gabriel Martinelli's failed through ball into Saka at Anfield in 2023, in the dying embers of the Gunners 2-2 draw.

Similarly, in the late moments of the 0-0 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad in March, when Leandro Trossard failed to play in Martinelli to win the game.

Crucial, decisive moments come the end of the year.

Once again, against Bournemouth, Martinelli was involved.

A loose ball from the Cherries 'keeper, Kepa, allowed Merino to play the Brazilian in for a one-on-one, with the goalkeeper's right side of the net gaping wide.

The left-winger set himself, but fired his shot straight at Kepa, spurning the rare opportunity to score in a tight affair.

After the match, the Arsenal boss was incandescent with the forward.

"We didn't capitalise and got punished," said the Spaniard. "We had the biggest chance in the game with Martinelli. It's a game of errors and tonight we made two big ones, and it cost us the game."

A title is made of flashpoints, moments where the top players make the difference.

If the Gunners are to go on to win the title, or compete for the UEFA Champions League, the Gunners must, must take these chances.