Arsenal shocked by Bournemouth, offering Man City Premier League lifeline

Arsenal lose 2-1 at home to Bournemouth as Premier League lead remains at 9 points but Man City have two games in hand.Bournemouth’s Alex Scott ‌threw the Premier League title race wide open with the winning goal as his ⁠side beat leaders ⁠Arsenal 2-1 at The Emirates.Midfielder Scott produced a cool finish after a neat build-up in the 74th minute to stun the nervous-looking hosts on Saturday and ⁠provide a huge boost for chasers Manchester City.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Tyson Fury insists he’s ‘still got it’ ahead of Makhmudov comeback fightlist 2 of 4Five wickets in 5 balls, 9 in match: Brazil bowler breaks cricket recordslist 3 of 4US Justice Department opens NFL probe with streaming services in spotlightlist 4 of 4World Athletics postpones Doha Diamond League due to player safety concernsend of listDefeat left a labouring Arsenal still with a seemingly commanding nine-point lead over City but Pep Guardiola’s side have played two games fewer and ⁠can close the gap if they beat Chelsea on Sunday. Arsenal’s first defeat in nine league games means they have 70 points from 32 games to City’s 61 from 30. City also have the incentive of hosting Arsenal next weekend.Bournemouth were the better side in the first half and took ‌the lead when Eli Junior Kroupi turned in a deflected cross at the far post in the 17th minute. Kroupi has now scored 10 times in the top flight this season – the first teenager to reach that mark in his debut campaign in the Premier League since Robbie Keane for Coventry City in the 1999-2000 season.Arsenal’s response was lacklustre, and they looked bereft of attacking spark as the home crowd grew frustrated.Mikel Arteta’s side got ⁠a helping hand when Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie was adjudged to have ⁠blocked a ball into the area with his arm, allowing Viktor Gyokeres to equalise from the spot in the 35th minute.Arsenal huffed and puffed looking for a winner, but it was Bournemouth who provided the twist as they moved ⁠into ninth place and in contention for a European qualifying spot. Arsenal began the game on a four-match winning run in the Premier ⁠League, and had they made it five to move 12 ⁠points ahead of City, they would have surely been on the cusp of a first English title since 2004.