Arsenal upset at Bournemouth

Arsenal’s title race tightened on April 11 when Bournemouth won 2-1 at Emirates Stadium, handing Mikel Arteta’s side a damaging home defeat. (apnews.com) Junior Kroupi put Bournemouth ahead in the 17th minute, Viktor Gyokeres equalized from the penalty spot in the 35th, and Alex Scott scored the winner in the 74th. (arsenal.com) The match drew 60,210 fans in north London, and Bournemouth became the first visiting side to win back-to-back league games at the Emirates in successive seasons. (skysports.com) Arsenal stayed on 70 points after 32 matches, while Manchester City sat on 61 points from 30 games and could cut the gap with two games in hand. (thestar.com.my, premierleague.com) That left Arsenal’s margin looking far thinner than the table first suggested, with City still due to host Arsenal the following weekend. (thestar.com.my, skysports.com) The loss also extended a rough domestic spell for Arsenal, who had gone nearly a month without a league match and, in that stretch, lost the League Cup final to City and exited the Football Association Cup against Southampton. (thestar.com.my) Bournemouth’s win lifted Andoni Iraola’s team into the top half chase, with Reuters reporting the club moved into ninth and remained in contention for a European place. (thestar.com.my) Arteta called the performance “a big punch in the face” and said Arsenal were “very far from the level” the team expects. (thestar.com.my) For Arsenal, the immediate task did not change after the upset: protect first place, then survive a direct trip to Manchester City with the lead still intact. (premierleague.com, skysports.com)