Reiss Nelson’s late winner for Arsenal against Bournemouth certainly triggered Gunners fans’ emotions.
Nelson came off the bench in the 97th minute to complete a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down at the Emirates against the Cherries, securing a crucial Arsenal win in the title race.
It kept Mikel Arteta’s side five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, after City had defeated Newcastle 2-0 earlier in the day.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright, who was watching from the back office at BBC’s Match of the Day with Gary Lineker and Danny Murphy, burst out laughing.
Wright, who is known for his wild celebrations (recall his wild reaction to England’s penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018?) clearly relished the moment. He couldn’t stop himself from jumping up and down before collapsing back on the sofa, all while Lineker was filming the whole thing.
“Wrighty, can I bother you for a few words?” asked the BBC host. But Wright could only say, “I love you, Reiss,” as it was joked that the goal might not stand because of a VAR check.
Arsenal had struggled for long periods against Bournemouth, falling behind 1-0 after only 10 seconds when Philip Billing scored from a superbly executed kick-off routine. Just before the hour mark, Marco Senesi made it 2-0.
Arteta’s team rallied, first through Thomas Partey’s effort and then through substitute Ben White, who equalized with 20 minutes remaining.
But, with the score locked at 2-2, it appeared that they would be dropping points until Nelson delivered the decisive blow in the final minute of stoppage time. Wright’s full reaction will be worth seeing when Match of the Day airs tonight (Saturday) on BBC One.
