Arsenal’s Premier League title push suffered a blow on Saturday after a 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium. The loss ended their nine-game unbeaten run and could allow Manchester City to close the gap at the top.

Bournemouth on their part, continued their fine form, stretching their unbeaten league run to 12 matches. They took the lead early with their first shot on target. Eli Junior Kroupi tapped in from close range after Adrien Truffert’s cross deflected into his path.

Arsenal struggled to find rhythm in the opening minutes but got back into the game around the half-hour mark. A handball by Ryan Christie led to a penalty, and Viktor Gyökeres calmly scored to make it 1-1.

Despite the equaliser, Bournemouth looked more dangerous before the break. David Raya made a low save to stop Evanilson, while Alex Scott fired over the bar from distance.

After the restart, Bournemouth stayed confident and controlled more of the play. Arsenal had the ball in the net midway through the second half, but Gyökeres was ruled offside.

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The winning goal came in the 74th minute. Scott reacted quickly to a loose ball from Evanilson and finished well past Raya to restore Bournemouth’s lead.

Arsenal pushed forward late in the game, but they lacked sharpness in attack. Gabriel Jesus came close with a header, but it was not enough.

The result moves Bournemouth into the top half and marks their first back-to-back away wins at Arsenal in the Premier League.

For Arsenal, focus now shifts to their UEFA Champions League clash with Sporting CP, where Mikel Arteta will expect a quick response

Tunde Eludini

Tunde Eludini is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria where he studied International Relations. He is a Senior Correspondent coordinating the sports section for PREMIUM TIMES. Twitter: @tundeyeludini

EPL: Bournemouth beat Arsenal, opening title race

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