Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Bournemouth are the only Premier League team not to lose a game since Antoine Semenyo's departure to Manchester City in January
ByEmlyn BegleyBBC Sport journalist- Published49 minutes ago
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Bournemouth's ability to move on from losing star players seems to know no bounds - as a club record 12th Premier League game without defeat boosted their European hopes, and threw a spanner into the works of Arsenal's title bid.
Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott struck as the Cherries beat the Gunners 2-1 at Emirates Stadium.
Andoni Iraola's side have not lost a game since star forward Antoine Semenyo left for Manchester City in January.
And that came following the exits of three of their defenders to some of Europe's largest teams in the summer - plus the loss of another big-money forward.
"You have to give credit to the manager but also to the recruitment department. Losing three of their back four last summer, losing Semenyo in January - nobody would have been critical if they'd fallen off," said BBC Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy.
"But they don't, they bring in another one, then another one: Rayan, Kroupi looks like a star in the making, both full-backs have done really well. It's credit to the way the club's run."
Scott's second-half winner on Saturday also sparked talk of a World Cup spot with England this summer.
The Cherries' remarkable run since January
Bournemouth's recruitment has been remarkable in the past few years.
Last season was probably the best in their history, with their highest Premier League points total (56) and joint best position - ninth.
They had to replace three of their back four - plus their goalkeeper - and somehow recovered.
Forward Dango Ouattara also left in the summer, joining Brentford for £42.5m, but it really felt like losing Semenyo could be unsurmountable.
The right winger had scored 10 goals this season before leaving - including a last-minute winner in his final game against Tottenham - and chipped in with a few assists.
That farewell gift ended an 11-game winless run.
And, incredibly, without Semenyo they have yet to lose a game, going 12 matches unbeaten including that Spurs win.
His place in the team effectively went to Rayan, a 19-year-old who joined a couple of weeks after Semenyo's exit.
The Brazilian, seven years younger than Semenyo, arrived for a fee of up to £30.3m, less than half of the £65m they pocketed for the Ghana international.
And he became only the third teenager ever to score or assist in his first three Premier League games (two goals and an assist).
He has not directly had a hand in a goal in his next five goals, but has continued to impress.
And he is not even the most prolific teenager in Bournemouth's front line.
Kroupi's opener against Arsenal made him the first teenager to score 10 goals in his maiden Premier League season since Robbie Keane for Coventry in 1999-2000.
The Frenchman joined Bournemouth properly in the summer, having signed in January 2025 before remaining on loan for the rest of the season with Lorient.
"I've watched a lot of Bournemouth this season. They always try and play positive football. They press high and play with good energy," said ex-England midfielder Murphy.
"They've had some defeats playing that way and being open against good quality teams, but it never seems to dampen their spirit to keep trying to do it the right way."
Only five Premier League teams have scored more than Bournemouth's 48 goals.
This is all more impressive when you consider that Justin Kluivert, who was Bournemouth's 12-goal top scorer in the league last season, has not played since Semenyo's exit because of injury.
All change at the back
Their ability to brush off stars' exits was also apparent in the summer.
When Milos Kerkez left for Liverpool, Dean Huijsen went to Real Madrid and Illia Zabarnyi departed for PSG, it seemed as if last season might have been the peak of Iraola's time in England.
Plus goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who had been on loan at Chelsea, opted to join Arsenal.
Only Marcos Senesi remained of that back four - but they did not seem to miss a beat.
Right-back Alex Jimenez came in, initially on loan from AC Milan, left-back Adrien Truffert came from Toulouse, and James Hill stepped up from the bench. Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic arrived from Chelsea.
All three defenders have impressed. Truffert has made about twice the amount of overlapping runs as any player in the league this season - and it was his deflected cross that led to Kroupi's opener.
Admittedly the Cherries have leaked goals - conceding 49, more than anyone else above 17th place in the table.
But defenders' jobs, especially in the modern day, are about a lot more than actual defending.
Murphy added: "It was an outstanding performance of quality. The passing out from the back was exquisite, the full-backs were up and down non-stop."
Could Scott grab late World Cup spot?
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Alex Scott scored Bournemouth's winner at Arsenal
Scott excelled again in Bournemouth's midfield.
The 22-year-old from Guernsey was named in the England squad in November, but did not get on the pitch, and is running out of time to force himself into World Cup contention.
Three of his six Premier League goal involvements (two goals and one assist) have come in 2026.
His winner was a well-taken finish, picking up the ball on the edge of the box from Evanilson, before taking a touch and slotting past David Raya.
Murphy believes Scott could grab a World Cup spot despite having yet to make his international debut.
"If he keeps his level of performance like he did today and there's one or two injuries, then he gives himself a hell of a chance," he said.
"There are others ahead of him, but he can't do much more than that level of performance today.
"There aren't many English midfielders getting enough goals, so if he can start adding goals to his game, then all of a sudden he might elevate himself ahead of others."
Scott's recovery from major injury woes continues to impress, having spent about six months sidelined with different problems since his 2023 move from Bristol City.
Team-mate Hill told BBC Sport: "He's come on leaps and bounds during the season and he has been a shining light and he is pushing for an England spot.
"He has been fantastic and today he showed his quality."
Iraola added: "Alex has been like this for many months. He was amazing today. He's in such good form. I'm so happy for him. He's worked a lot to be at this level."
Scott himself told TNT Sport: "David Brooks said it was a tap-in, and Hilly said it was a worldie, so that sums the pair of them up.
"It was a good finish. I was playing deeper a lot today, so about a minute before I moved more advanced, and popped up with a goal. I need to add more goals to my game, so I was really happy with that."
