Arsenal came from behind to secure a 3-3 with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium while Stoke City claimed a 2-0 victory over Watford in the Premier League on Tuesday evening.
The Cherries got off to a bright start and took the lead as early as the 16th minute when Junior Stanislas played a long ball through to Stanislase Daniels before he controlled the ball to slot it past Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech.
However, the home side then doubled their lead in the 20th minutes after they were awarded a penalty when Ryan Fraser was brought down by Granit Xhaka. Calum Wilson stepped up to take the penalty and made no mistake to make it 2-0.
The Gunners were dealt a major blow in the 27th minute when Francis Coquelin suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Arsene Wenger’s side saw more of the possession of the ball in the remaining minutes of the first half but failed to create any clear-cut chances in the final third.
However, Bournemouth extended their lead to three goals shortly after the half-time interval when Fraser beat his marker before slotting through Cech’s legs to make it 3-0.
The Gunners responded well and pulled a goal back in the 69th minute when Olivier Giroud picked out Alexis Sanchez, who headed the ball past Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc.
Arsenal then scored their second of the match in the 74th minute when Lucas Perez volleyed the ball into the far corner from a tight angle to make it 3-2.
Bournemouth suffered a blow and were reduced to 10 men in the 83rd minute when Simon Francis was shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey.
However, Arsenal managed to level matters in the 92nd minute of stoppage time when Giroud headed the ball into the far corner to secure a point for his side at the Vitality Stadium.
Meanwhile, Angel Rangel scored a late winner as Swansea City grabbed a vital 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The Swans opened the scoring in the 42nd minute through Alfie Mawson before Wilfred Zaha scored an equalising goal in the 83rd minute but Rangel sealed the victory five minutes laters as his side walked away with all three points.
While Stoke City secured a 2-0 victory over Watford at the Britannia Stadium through goals by Ryan Shawcross during injury time in the first half before Peter Crouch sealed the victory in the 49th minute as the Potters collected all three points.
Image: Premier League website
