ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta says his side got what they “expected” from their friendly against Cherries.
Goals from Fabio Vieira and Antoine Semenyo saw the contest end 1-1 in Los Angeles, before the Gunners won a penalty shootout to round off proceedings.
Andoni Iraola named a strong side for the contest, a few days on from giving some fringe players an opportunity in a 1-1 draw with Wrexham.
Arsenal are currently without a host of first-team players, not yet back in action after featuring in international tournaments over the summer.
That saw them field a string of youngsters throughout the contest with Cherries, academy prospects Myles Lewis-Skelley, Ayden Heaven, Ethan Nwaneri and Salah-Eddie Oulad M’Hand all starting.
Reflecting on the game, Arteta said: “I'm very pleased to be fair.
“We have a very different context with so many young players, most of them making their debuts for us, so I’m really pleased to see them.
“Just looking at their faces, and the energy that they had before the game, understanding that they were going to be involved.
“The senior players had a good game, it was a really competitive match as we expected against Bournemouth.
“They are a little bit ahead of us in terms of the time they had to prepare but (it was) a good competitive match with a lot of things to take forward.”
With both David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale not yet back in training having been part of the Euro 2024 final, third choice stopper Karl Hein played against Cherries.
The Estonia international made some big saves during the game, before thwarting both Philip Billing and Ryan Christie in the shootout.
“I'm very happy for him,” said Arteta.
“Obviously he had to be really patient and wait for his opportunity.
“He came back from his holidays really sharp and prepared. He knew that he had big games ahead of him and he started, and I think he had a really good performance.”
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