aArsenal’s bid to win the Premier League title suffered a setback with a crushing 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth in London on Saturday.
League leaders Manchester City lost for the third time in four official games, missing out on a chance to open up a 12-point lead over second-place Manchester City.
“It’s a big punch to the face,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told broadcaster TNT Sports. “It has to hurt and it has to put stress on your jaw.”
Alex Scott scored the winning goal in the 74th minute at the Emirates Stadium to put Arsenal under pressure ahead of next week’s game against leaders City.
Arsenal have played two more games than City, who face Chelsea on Sunday, and could close the gap to six points.
“There is no gray area now,” Arteta said. “Either you stand up and go fight, or you’re out and that’s it.”
Arsenal are faltering at the worst possible time. They lost to City in the English League Cup final and to second-tier Southampton in the FA Cup, ending their quest for a quadruple crown.
Despite defeating Sporting Lisbon 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, the loss will only heighten tensions in England’s title race, having finished runners-up for the third year in a row.
Arsenal have a big week ahead of them, as they face Sporting in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, before taking on City on Sunday.
Bournemouth took the lead inside 17 minutes with Junior Crupi’s goal from close range. Viktor Gökeres equalized with a penalty in the 35th minute, but Arsenal struggled to create any openings and the Scot could have secured victory and ignited the title race.
Bournemouth won consecutive games at Arsenal, setting a club record of 12 consecutive games unbeaten in the Premier League.
Arsenal remain top of the table, but the form guide does not read well from Arteta’s perspective.
Before kick-off, league statistics provider Opta announced that Arsenal manager’s Premier League winning percentage in April was 44%, compared to 79% for City manager Josep Guardiola.
“It’s a big week,” Arteta said. “It’s a big deal at stake. We’re still in a very good position in both competitions, but we need to do better.”
