Arsenal stunned at home

Bournemouth beat Arsenal 2-1 at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, handing the Premier League leaders a home defeat that cut into their margin at the top. (apnews.com) Eli 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 loss left Arsenal on 70 points from 32 matches, while Manchester City had 61 points from 30 matches at the end of Saturday. Arsenal had been trying to move 12 points clear before City’s game in hand. (arsenal.com) (premierleague.com) That is why one result changed the arithmetic of the run-in. Arsenal still lead the table by nine points, but City can trim that gap with two extra fixtures still to play. (premierleague.com) (nytimes.com) The defeat also deepened a rough spell for Mikel Arteta’s team. Associated Press said Arsenal had now lost three of their last four matches in all competitions, and Arteta called the performance “a big punch in the face.” (apnews.com) (espn.com) For Bournemouth, the result pushed Andoni Iraola’s side to 45 points from 32 matches and extended the club’s unbeaten league run to 12 games, its longest since returning to the top flight in 2015. (arsenal.com) (afcb.co.uk) It was also Bournemouth’s second straight league win at Arsenal by the same 2-1 scoreline, according to Arsenal’s match report. Saturday’s crowd was listed at 60,210. (arsenal.com) (skysports.com) Arsenal still control first place on April 12, but the cushion is smaller in practical terms than the table alone suggests. After a Saturday that was set up to strengthen their lead, they left north London with none of the extra margin they wanted. (premierleague.com) (apnews.com)