Unai Emery Reveals Why He Dropped Mesut Özil & Hails 'Big Moment' After Arsenal Edge Out Bournemouth

Arsenal boss Unai Emery revelled in his side's 'big moment' after they beat Bournemouth 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday, and also revealed why he dropped Mesut Özil for the encounter.

The Gunners took the lead midway through the first half thanks to a bizarre Jefferson Lerma own goal, but were pegged back on the brink of half-time as Joshua King capped off a fine counter attack with a lethal finish. Emery's side rallied in the second half, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's tap-in was enough to seal a 2-1 victory for the visiting side.

Speaking after the win, via the Telegraph, Emery said: "Today is 17 matches we have not lost, but the last three matches we drew. We know that is not enough for us, for our objectives. The three points is a big match and a big moment for us. 

"When they scored we needed to keep calm and continue to control, getting better in the small things on the pitch."

"We knew this is a difficult stadium, a difficult team. I am very happy how the players and also the supporters pushed and helped us today. The control over 90 minutes, keeping calm in a lot of moments, is very important.”

Emery went on to explain the reason behind not starting Özil despite his recent rise in form, and said: "We thought how we can be better in the match today, a very demanding match with physicality and intensity. But every player is important."

"Also today we tried with three centre-backs, like in some moments this season, we worked today and it is another possibility to improve or find our best performance in the squad.”

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The Gunners will look to take their positive momentum into next weekend's big clash against Spurs. Mauricio Pochettino's side will be in fine spirits after beating Chelsea 3-1 on Saturday, and will head to the Emirates Stadium hoping to sink another major London rival as they aim to keep their title hopes alive.