Arsenal: Richard Keys rages over dramatic winner against Bournemouth, questioning how it was allowed

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Arsenal won in the 97th minute against Bournemouth – but now Richard Keys has questioned the legitimacy of the winning goal itself

Arsenal star Reiss Nelson celebrates victory following the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and AFC Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium on March 04, 2023 in London, England.
(Image credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Arsenal should not have had their 97th-minute winner against Bournemouth stand on Saturday, according to Richard Keys.

The beIN presenter has been accused this season of having a "weird vendetta" against Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, raging about the Basque boss's touchline demeanour and questioning the Gunners for what he deems to be "over-celebrating".

But while the former Sky anchor claimed that he was fine with the manner with which they celebrated their dramatic last-gasp win over Bournemouth at the weekend, he did question how the goal was even allowed. 

Arsenal players celebrate Reiss Nelson's late winner against Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium in March 2023.

Arsenal netted in what was almost the final kick of the game to snatch three points from the brink of a draw (Image credit: Getty Images)

"I’ve no problem with this [Arsenal’s celebrations] because that’s a dramatic way to win a football match," Keys said on beIN SPORTS.

"I would ask about the time of the goal as 97 minutes had been played. I think Bournemouth will have reason to think, 'where did you find that time?' The referee will have a reason.

"It was a dramatic afternoon and this is developing, for me, into an Arsenal season and they keep passing every test that they have been set."

"There were six minutes added on, you can see that in the top corner, and we were just approaching the 98th minute when Reiss Nelson scored," co-host Andy Gray added.

Sony Radio Academy Awards, Grosvenor Hotel, London, Britain - 14 May 2012, Andy Gray And Richard Keys

Richard Keys and Andy Gray had questions over the refereeing during Arsenal vs Bournemouth (Image credit: Brian Rasic/Getty Images)

Arsenal will, of course, argue with Keys' assessment. The Gunners were denied four handball shouts across the 90 minutes, while Cherries keeper and captain Neto was time-wasting from an early stage of the game. Bournemouth had a player down injured in stoppage time, accounting for the extra minute added.

The Gunners are top by five points.

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The rumour mill is going into overdrive with Arsenal leading the way in the race to sign Declan Rice. One source claims a contract has been agreed with the midfielder, though Manchester City are interested, too. West Ham apparently have a successor lined up.

In other rumours, Raheem Sterling is being targeted, with a centre-forward on the wishlist, according to reports. A bid for Raphinha has been revealed while Rasmus Holjund of Atalanta is on the radar, too. January target Ivan Fresneda is still wanted by the Gunners, as well. 

Meanwhile, Chelsea star Mykhaylo Mudryk – who turned down Arsenal in the winter window – has addressed his supposed unhappiness at Stamford Bridge. 

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.