Bournemouth blew the Premier League title race wide open as they beat a nervous Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta called on the Arsenal fans to be ready for the lunchtime kick-off, but the message didn’t get to his players as they put in a sluggish and nervy performance to miss the chance to go 12 points clear at the top of the table.
Junior Kroupi gave Bournemouth a deserved lead (17) before Viktor Gyokeres (35) hit Arsenal’s equaliser from the penalty spot after Ryan Christie blocked Gabriel Magalhaes’ shot with his hand.
Arteta threw on Eberechi Eze, Max Dowman and Leandro Trossard in a bid to ignite his side but it was Bournemouth who looked the more likely to get a winner, and it came through Alex Scott (74) as the visitors celebrated a second straight win at the Emirates.
There was a smattering of boos from the home fans as ‘second again’ came from the visiting fans at the end of game, and that may now become a reality after such a lacklustre performance from the Gunners, who have finished runner-up for the past three seasons. Rarely has a nine-point lead at the top looked so fragile.
Alex Scott celebrates after restoring Bournemouth’s lead
Man City, who have two games in hand on the Gunners, have the chance to cut the lead at the top to just six points when they visit Chelsea, live on Sky Sports (kick off 4.30pm) on Sunday.
The Gunners then travel to the Etihad next Sunday in a fixture that takes even greater significance following a third straight domestic defeat for Arteta’s men with major doubts surfacing over whether they can secure their first title in 22 years.
More to follow…
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