Arsenal were booed off the pitch following their 2-1 loss at home to Bournemouth on Saturday, as they opened the door for Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
The result means Arsenal, who missed the chance to go 12 points clear of City, have now lost three of their last four games in all competitions. They had only three defeats in the first 49 games in all competitions this season.
Junior Kroupi gave the visitors a well-earned lead after 17 minutes at the Emirates Stadium before Viktor Gyökeres clawed a laboured Arsenal back into the game from the penalty spot.
But Alex Scott restored Bournemouth’s advantage in the 74th minute and Mikel Arteta’s shell-shocked side failed to find a response of any sort and there was a rippling of boos from the home fans at the fulltime whistle.
Arsenal’s sobering loss hands Manchester City the chance to reduce the Gunners’ nine-point lead to six when they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Arsenal stumbled against Bournemouth in the title race, opening the door to Man City. Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown said Mikel Arteta’s team have to “stick together” now.
“You are going to have to,” Keown said on TNT Sports. “The pressure was too much. Now people have to stand up, leaders emerge. It’s still in your hands. Make sure the wheels do not come off.”
– Arsenal suffer huge PL title blow with defeat to Bournemouth
– Mikel Arteta: Bournemouth defeat a ‘big punch in the face’
Gunners’ boss Arteta described the loss as a “big punch in the face.”
“We were very far from the level that we’re expecting, that’s for sure,” Arteta added. “But again, I don’t want to criticise any players, especially here.”
Having seen both their FA Cup and Carabao Cup runs ended in recent weeks, Arsenal now face another crunch week.
Arsenal host Sporting Lisbon in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie on April 15, going into the game with a slender one-goal advantage.
They then head to the Etihad to face second-placed Manchester City on April 19.
Asked if City now had the title momentum, Arteta added: “We cannot control that, the only thing we can control is our performance.”
Information from PA and ESPN Global Soccer Research was added to this report.
