Arsenal were beaten by Bournemouth at the Emirates as Mikel Arteta’s bizarre team selection decision backfired as the Cherries blew the Premier League title race open
Arsenal lost a huge match in the Premier League title race(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The Premier League title race has been blown wide open after Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Bournemouth at the Emirates thanks to goals from Kroupi Jr and Alex Scott either side of a Viktor Gyokeres penalty.
Arsenal’s quadruple and then treble hopes fell apart within a matter of weeks after defeat in both domestic cup competitions. However, victory against Sporting CP in Lisbon in midweek got them back on track in Europe before returning to league action against the Cherries.
An early kick-off at the Emirates presented the Gunners with the ideal chance to put themselves further clear at the top of the table before Manchester City play against Chelsea on Sunday. But an uninspiring performance saw Arsenal deservedly beaten.
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Arteta’s shock decision was his call to name Myles Lewis-Skelly in the starting line-up for just the second time in the Premier League all season, and in his first league appearance since January 8.
Thought of as the best left-back in the league last season by quite a huge section of the Arsenal fanbase, and from a respectable amount of English football fans, Lewis-Skelly looked nailed on to be England’s starting left-back at this summer’s World Cup. But on both the club and national scene he has been displaced.
The 19-year-old was also up against the brightest winger in the league in the shape of fellow teenager Rayan. However, it was a different young Bournemouth forward who Lewis-Skelly failed to track as Kroupi Jr ran off the shoulder of the left-back to tap in Adrien Truffert’s deflected cross with just 17 minutes on the clock.
Arsenal were growing frustrated until referee Michael Oliver awarded a contentious penalty for handball after Ryan Christie’s outstretched arm blocked Gabriel’s goal-bound effort. But some argued that the close proximity gave the Cherries midfielder no chance to pull his out of the way from the natural position it was in.
Regardless, Gyokeres stepped up and ruthlessly dispatched the penalty, smashing it into the side netting past Djordje Petrovic at full stretch in the 35th minute.
A game that really lacked chances at either end of the pitch drifted to half-time goalless and failed to improve in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, seeing Arteta make a triple change.
Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli were all hooked off for Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard and the 16-year-old wonderkid of the moment Max Dowman in the hope of injecting life into the game.
The usual feeling of nervous frustration when Arsenal aren’t winning at home was obvious whenever David Raya had the ball at his feet. Jeers and calls for the play to be quicker were obvious, none more so than when Alex Scott went through on goal just moments after Raya gave the ball away with a poor kick upfield.
Scott took a brilliant touch as the Arsenal defence parted through the middle as the English midfielder coolly sat down Raya and wrapped his foot around the ball to finish in the top corner from just inside the penalty box with 16 minutes of normal time to play.
Arsenal lacked inspiration throughout the match but Dowman’s introduction added drive to their attack and his whipped cross, which was poorly dealt with by Petrovic, fell to Gyokeres, but the Swede slipped and shanked the golden chance over the bar. Gabriel finished the game playing as another striker alongside the big Swede, who later shanked an effort wide from 18 yards in injury-time.
The defeat leaves Manchester City in a position to win the league if they win their remaining matches. Pep Guardiola’s side have two games in hand and host the Gunners next Sunday, currently sitting nine points behind the leaders.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth are 12 games unbeaten and move just four points behind Liverpool in the final Champions League place.
