Martin Odegaard urges Arsenal to get ready for ‘massive game’ against PSG

By George Sessions, PA

Martin Odegaard urged everyone associated with Arsenal to stick together after they warmed up for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final showdown at Paris St Germain with a home defeat by Bournemouth.

Captain Odegaard set up Declan Rice to mark his 100th fixture for the club with a goal after 34 minutes, but Andoni Iraola’s Cherries fought back after the break to earn a first win at the Emirates and complete a league double over the Gunners.

Successive losses left Arsenal full of “rage, anger and frustration” according to boss Mikel Arteta and Odegaard insisted they must use those emotions to overturn a one-goal deficit in midweek at the Parc des Princes in order to keep alive their aspirations of winning a maiden Champions League title.

“We’re disappointed now, but we have to move on and be strong and stick together and prepare for a massive game,” Odegaard reflected.

“It’s a massive game. That’s the good thing. When you’re disappointed now and you’re angry and frustrated, you can use all those emotions into Wednesday.

“We know what we’re playing for, it’s a massive game, we have to stick together and create energy and be ready.”

Arteta’s decision to make only two changes for the visit of Bournemouth raised eyebrows, but was maybe as a result of Manchester City’s victory over Wolves on Friday, which closed the gap to the second-placed Gunners to three points.

Two wins from Arsenal’s final three fixtures will secure Champions League qualification, but with a trip to Liverpool followed by top-five rivals Newcastle coming to the Emirates on May 18, there is work to be done.

Odegaard told the official club website: “We’re very disappointed. We wanted to come here and have a really good game, get a win – for our position in the league and also to create the momentum into next week.

“I think we controlled pretty much everything until they scored and then it was a bit too chaotic, and a bit wild and we lost momentum.

“We didn’t really play our game after that. The second half was very far from good enough from us. It’s not acceptable to concede two goals like that. It’s something we have to talk about and make sure we improve.”

Bournemouth threatened either side of Rice’s opener, but were more clinical after the break and equalised in the 67th-minute when Dean Huijsen headed in a long throw by substitute Antoine Semenyo.

Another replacement helped produce the winner as Alex Scott – brought on alongside Semenyo – picked out Marcus Tavernier from a corner and Evanilson bundled in at the back post.

VAR reviewed the incident for handball but the goal was awarded and provided a sense of vindication for Evanilson after his red card against Manchester United last Sunday was rescinded.

Yet, Iraola claimed: “If you’ve seen our games, it is not justice.

“The stats without the VAR, I don’t have the standings but I would like to know where we have been without VAR.

“They check handball. Luckily for us it wasn’t.”