{"id":2297,"date":"2026-04-13T00:35:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T00:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=2297"},"modified":"2026-04-13T00:35:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T00:35:35","slug":"how-arsenal-can-lose-top-spot-to-man-city-within-just-11-days-after-bournemouth-blow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=2297","title":{"rendered":"How Arsenal can lose top spot to Man City within just 11 days after Bournemouth blow"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_790335\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Arsenal&#8217;s defeat to Bournemouth, opened the door for Manchester City to overtake them in the Premier League title race within 11 days<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<div class=\"Byline_author-and-badge-wrapper__2dsv1\">\n<div class=\"Authors_authors-container__wVWas\" data-testid=\"byline-author\" data-tmdatatrack=\"author\" style=\"--authors-by:&quot;By&quot;\"><span><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35 __className_790335\">Felix Keith<\/strong><\/span><span>  and <span><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Bruna Reis<\/strong><\/span>  Senior Sports Journalist<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\">11:05, 12 Apr 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33755928\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mikel Arteta\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33755928.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Arsenal-v-AFC-Bournemouth-Premier-League-Football-Emirates-Stadium-London-UK-11-Apr-2026.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33755928.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_Arsenal-v-AFC-Bournemouth-Premier-League-Football-Emirates-Stadium-London-UK-11-Apr-2026.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33755928.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_Arsenal-v-AFC-Bournemouth-Premier-League-Football-Emirates-Stadium-London-UK-11-Apr-2026.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33755928.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Arsenal-v-AFC-Bournemouth-Premier-League-Football-Emirates-Stadium-London-UK-11-Apr-2026.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Arsenal suffered a major slip\u2011up in the Premier League title race\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Arsenal suffered a major slip\u2011up in the Premier League title race<cite aria-label=\"Image: Javier Garcia\/Shutterstock\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Javier Garcia\/Shutterstock)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Arsenal began their clash with Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon aware that three points would extend their advantage at the Premier League summit to 12 points. They finished the encounter facing the prospect of a dramatic shift in the title race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Alex Scott&#8217;s strike at the Emirates Stadium secured Bournemouth a 2-1 triumph and threw the top of the table into uncertainty. Arsenal appeared disconnected and failed to generate sustained threat on the Cherries&#8217; goal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Their solitary goal arrived via a Viktor Gyokeres penalty following a handball incident, with Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic having precious little to contend with. Arsenal maintain a nine-point cushion over Manchester City, yet Pep Guardiola&#8217;s team possess two matches in hand &#8211; and, significantly, meet Arsenal next weekend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It potentially represents a substantial swing in circumstances for Mikel Arteta&#8217;s outfit. City make the journey to west London to face Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, requiring victory to maintain momentum. Success at Stamford Bridge would establish next Sunday&#8217;s fixture at the Etihad Stadium ideally for Guardiola&#8217;s side.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE!<\/strong><a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AFCFootball.London#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"> <\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><u>Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContentsEmbed_affiliate-contents-container__oTiet\" data-testid=\"affiliate-contents-embed\">\n<div data-testid=\"affiliate-content\" class=\"AffiliateContent_affiliate-content-container__10EX_ affiliate-content\">\n<p>Up to 70% off Arsenal kits and merch<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-disclaimer__dG5ST\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-text__8nmDa\">This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM AffiliateContent_content-details__U6C2M AffiliateContent_has-content-img___LY95\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-image__FxPNL\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Content Image\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article32730319.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_Untitled-9jpeg.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-price-details__OpMC_\">\n<p>Various Prices<\/p>\n<p>Kitbag<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"AffiliateContent_content-buy-btn__xWiVO buy-btn\" aria-label=\"Buy button\" href=\"https:\/\/kitbag.evyy.net\/c\/344386\/789332\/11316?subId1=Regionals-football.london&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kitbag.com%2Fen%2Fpremier-league%2Farsenal%2Fo-54310484%2Bt-47520158%2Bz-81-746375396\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Buy Now on Kitbag<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM\">\n<div id=\"product-description\" class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Kitbag has slashed the price of Arsenal kits and merch with up to 70% off select items.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Victories against Chelsea and Arsenal would reduce the deficit to three points, and City then meet Burnley on April 22 &#8211; prior to Arsenal welcoming Newcastle on April 25 &#8211; which could result in Guardiola&#8217;s team leapfrogging Arsenal, assuming they narrow the gap on goal difference.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Arsenal presently stand on +38, six superior to City&#8217;s +32. Arteta made no attempt to conceal his frustration. &#8220;Disappointing. It&#8217;s a big punch in the face and it&#8217;s about how we react now,&#8221; he told TNT Sports. &#8220;They are a team who haven&#8217;t lost for 11 games for a reason, they did a lot right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;We were far from efficient. The first chance they had to attack the box, it&#8217;s a deflection, a bad defending action and it&#8217;s a goal. That&#8217;s something we have to recover from. The second half you expect a different game. We did a lot of strange things today. We have been very consistent. This can happen, this is football.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-33755912\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33755912\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.53\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33755912.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Arsenal-v-Manchester-City-EFL-Carabao-Cup-Final-Football-Wembley-Stadium-London-UK-22-Mar-20.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33755912.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Arsenal-v-Manchester-City-EFL-Carabao-Cup-Final-Football-Wembley-Stadium-London-UK-22-Mar-20.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33755912.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Arsenal-v-Manchester-City-EFL-Carabao-Cup-Final-Football-Wembley-Stadium-London-UK-22-Mar-20.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33755912.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Arsenal-v-Manchester-City-EFL-Carabao-Cup-Final-Football-Wembley-Stadium-London-UK-22-Mar-20.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Arsenal will face Man City at the Etihad Stadium next weekend\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Arsenal will face Man City at the Etihad Stadium next weekend<cite aria-label=\"Image: Javier Garcia\/Shutterstock\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Javier Garcia\/Shutterstock)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">When asked whether his players were hurting, he responded: &#8220;A lot. It has to hurt. They have to take it on the chin. You stand up and go for the fight or you&#8217;re out. It&#8217;s a big week. A lot at stake. We&#8217;re still in a good position in both competitions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Former Arsenal title-winner Martin Keown was equally forthright on TNT Sports. &#8220;This is a huge disappointment,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Bournemouth were magnificent but how many times have we been saying that now? Southampton were magnificent last week. You have to be better than you were today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Bournemouth pressed exceptionally well, but it&#8217;s about sticking together, and you are going to have to, they have a huge game in the midweek, and everyone is going to be writing you off now. Will that change the mentality of the players? The pressure today was too much at times, and we&#8217;re lacking energy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Now people have to stand up. Personalities have to come forward. Leaders need to emerge. It&#8217;s still in your hands because you play Manchester City in the Premier League. You do have a Champions League game midweek though, and you need to make sure that the wheels do not come off.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContentsEmbed_affiliate-contents-container__oTiet\" data-testid=\"affiliate-contents-embed\">\n<div data-testid=\"affiliate-content\" class=\"AffiliateContent_affiliate-content-container__10EX_ affiliate-content\">\n<p>Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-disclaimer__dG5ST\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-text__8nmDa\">This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM AffiliateContent_content-details__U6C2M AffiliateContent_has-content-img___LY95\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-image__FxPNL\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Content Image\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article29688868.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM\">\n<div id=\"product-description\" class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arsenal&#8217;s defeat to Bournemouth, opened the door for Manchester City to overtake them in the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}