Bournemouth’s Evanilson and Eli Junior Kroupi celebrate (AP Photo/Dave Shopland) Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes suffered a major setback on Saturday when they were beaten 2-1 by Bournemouth at the Emirates, giving Manchester City renewed belief in the race at the top of the table.Bournemouth struck first on 17 minutes when Junior Kroupi pounced on a loose ball inside the box after William Saliba kindly fell into his path, allowing him to tap home from close range to silence the home crowd.Arsenal responded and gradually grew into the game, their pressure definitely indicated in the 35th minute. Viktor Gyökeres stepped up to convert the penalty after Ryan Christie should have been the referee and decided to handle the ball inside the box. This goal equalized for Arsenal and briefly settled the nerves in the stadium.The Gunners came out stronger after the break and Mikel Arteta responded with bold changes in attack, introducing Eberechi Eze, 16-year-old Max Dowman and Leandro Trossard in place of Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli. However, despite fresh legs, Arsenal continued to struggle to break down Bournemouth’s disciplined defensive structure.But Bournemouth remained dangerous in transition and returned to the lead in the 74th minute with a sophisticated move. David Brooks created the opening before Evanilson’s involvement helped the ball fall to Alex Scott, who finished strongly to fire a powerful shot past David Ray.Arsenal threw everything forward in the closing stages but lacked precision in the final third. Gyökeres went closest late on and fired deep into the break as Bournemouth kept the pressure firmly on.The home side finished with just three shots on target and suffered just their second home league defeat of the season, a worrying sign given the timing of the run-up.Arsenal remain nine points clear at the top with six games remaining in their quest for a first Premier League title since 2004, but Manchester City, with games in hand, now have a clear opportunity to close the gap and pile the pressure on the leaders ahead of the upcoming meeting at the Etihad.
