Bournemouth stuns Arsenal

Arsenal lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth on April 11, leaving the Premier League leaders with a smaller cushion and giving Manchester City a route back into the race. (reuters.com) Junior Kroupi put Bournemouth ahead in the 17th minute at Emirates Stadium, and Viktor Gyökeres equalized from the penalty spot in the 35th after Bournemouth were punished for a foul in the box. (arsenal.com) Alex Scott scored the winner in the 74th minute to complete Bournemouth’s comeback and secure a second straight league win for Andoni Iraola’s side at Arsenal’s ground. (reuters.com) The result left Arsenal on 70 points from 32 matches, while Manchester City had 61 points from 30 matches, according to the league table published after the game. (arsenal.com) Sky Sports reported Arsenal had missed the chance to move 12 points clear, while Reuters said the defeat handed City renewed mathematical hope with games in hand still to play. (skysports.com (reuters.com)) For Arsenal, the loss added to a rough spell: The Associated Press said it was their third defeat in four matches in all competitions. (apnews.com) Mikel Arteta said before kickoff that supporters should arrive ready to create a hostile atmosphere for the lunchtime start, but Sky Sports described Arsenal’s display as sluggish and nervy. (skysports.com) For Bournemouth, the win pushed them to 45 points from 32 matches and into the top half of the table, according to Arsenal’s published standings page. (arsenal.com) The immediate effect was simple: Arsenal stayed first, but a title race that had looked close to settled on April 11 was open again by full time at the Emirates. (bbc.com)