Arsenal stumbles, City closes gap

Arsenal’s 2-1 home loss to Bournemouth on Saturday reopened the Premier League race and gave Manchester City a chance to cut a nine-point gap. (premierleague.com) (arsenal.com) Bournemouth went ahead through Junior Kroupi in the 16th minute at Emirates Stadium, Arsenal equalized with Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty in the 34th, and Alex Scott scored the winner in the 73rd. (arsenal.com) The official league table published Sunday showed Arsenal first on 70 points from 31 matches and Manchester City second on 61 points from 30 matches before City’s trip to Chelsea. The Associated Press reported Arsenal had missed the chance to move 12 points clear. (premierleague.com) (apnews.com) Pep Guardiola said City had no margin for error in the run-in before facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Sky Sports’ live match page quoted him saying, “You have to win all of them, all. Not one draw, no. Forget about it.” (skysports.com) The swing came with seven rounds left for Arsenal and eight for City, a split that matters because City still had one extra league game in hand on Sunday morning. Arsenal had been top for months, but one defeat changed the arithmetic. (premierleague.com) (apnews.com) For Arsenal, the result added to a rough spell. The Associated Press said the Bournemouth loss was Arsenal’s third defeat in four matches in all competitions, and Arsenal’s own report called it only their second home league loss of the season. (apnews.com) (arsenal.com) For Bournemouth, the win pushed Andoni Iraola’s side into the middle of the table and completed back-to-back league wins at Arsenal’s stadium. Arsenal’s report said Bournemouth had also won there last season. (arsenal.com 1) (arsenal.com 2) The next step was immediate: City at Chelsea on Sunday, Arsenal waiting on the table, and a title race that looked looser 24 hours after Bournemouth arrived in north London. (foxsports.com) (premierleague.com)