"Play him on Wednesday and we are cooked", "He's getting burned"- Arsenal fans slam 27-year-old star after 2-1 loss to Bournemouth
Arsenal fans online called out Ben White for his performance in the Gunners' 2-1 defeat against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, May 3. Some suggested that the Englishman should not feature in their upcoming UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg against PSG.
During the encounter, Declan Rice gave the Gunners the lead in the 34th minute. Having received a smart pass from Martin Odegaard, the Englishman found himself one-on-one with Kepa Arrizabalaga and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper.
Bournemouth got their leveller through Dean Huijsen in the 67th minute. The Dutchman capitalized on a throw-in from Antoine Semenyo and directed his header into the net.
Following a cross from Alex Scott, Marcus Tavernier planted a header which fell kindly for Evanilson. The Brazilian striker gave the Cherries a 2-1 lead in the 75th minute. Despite some urgency from Arsenal to secure a draw late in the game, the final scoreline was 2-1 in favor of Bournemouth.
Meanwhile, White maintained a passing accuracy of 78% (22/28) in 86 minutes on the pitch. He registered six clearances, won one out of five ground duels, and lost possession of the ball eight times (via Sofascore).
After the game, fans took to X to register their displeasure with White's performance, with one tweeting:
"Ben white has always been poor 1v1. Play him on Wednesday and we are cooked.”
"Ben White is scaring me for Wednesday bruh,” another added.
"My goat Ben white is washed I have to accept it,” a fan opined.
"Ben White looks so rusty bro..Telling how long term injuries can be,” another complained.
"Tough to watch Ben white,” another vented.
"Ben white Can’t defend wide spaces. Timber and Myles aren’t losing their starting spots anytime soon,” a fan suggested.
"Ben white is horrid can’t wait till tomiyasu is back,” another said.
"Give Desire Doue a Ben White sesh and PSG fans will forget Neymar existed,” another tweeted.
"We were -1 with ben white's play today.,” another suggested.
"Aye. Ben White defensively not it. Not right now. He’s getting burned worst than before the surgery.”
How did Declan Rice perform during Arsenal's loss to Bournemouth?
While the defeat has led Arsenal fans to worry about their upcoming semifinal second leg against PSG, they will be comforted by another impressive performance from midfielder Declan Rice.
Rice scored Arsenal's only goal in the game. In 74 minutes on the pitch, he maintained a passing accuracy of 83% (19/23). He delivered one key pass, registered one shot on target, and won six out of seven ground duels contested (via Sofascore).
Meanwhile, the Gunners remain in second place in the Premier League rankings with 67 points from 35 games played. They will battle PSG in the UCL semifinal second leg at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, May 7. The Parisians have a 1-0 advantage from the first leg at the Emirates.