The Gunners created very little throughout the contest and duly fell behind early when Junior Kroupi bundled home from Alex Jimenez’s deflected cross. The hosts were handed a lifeline when they were awarded a soft penalty and striker Viktor Gyokeres slotted home, but the current table-toppers were unable to build upon their equaliser.
Throughout the second half, the contest only looked as though it would have one winner, and it wasn’t the Premier League title race favourites. Arsenal, for all their possession, never created anything of note, with even their now infamous set pieces also looking ineffective. And with 16 minutes remaining, disaster struck as a well-worked Cherries move saw Alex Scott race through on goal before sweeping home past David Raya and celebrating in front of the travelling Bournemouth supporters.
Arsenal’s Title Hopes
Gyokeres would miss a gilt-edged chance to level things once again minutes later, blazing over from point-blank range. That would prove to be his side’s last chance, with Arsenal beaten at home for just the second time this season, turning their recent slide into a full-blown crisis. The Gunners lost the League Cup final against title rivals Manchester City at Wembley a few weeks ago, before suffering a shock exit in the FA Cup quarterfinals at the hands of Southampton. Now, they have been beaten again, but online betting sites still make them the favourites to secure the title.
The latest odds from Lucky Rebel Sportsbook still make Arteta’s side a clear 1/2 favourite to win the title this season, primarily thanks to the nine-point lead they have built up over Pep Guardiola’s Blues. However, City does have two games in hand on the Gunners, and the two teams are set to face off in the near future, meaning that the points advantage could be wiped out entirely with just a handful of games remaining. And the bad news is, there are plenty more games on the horizon that Arsenal could well slip up in.
Newcastle (H)
Arsenal’s next few games are an absolute gauntlet. Sporting CP in the Champions League quarterfinals, Manchester City in a crunch clash that could decide the location of the Premier League title, and following that, hosting Newcastle United at the Emirates. And if the Gunners do indeed lose that game against City the week prior, then the pressure will truly be on when they welcome Eddie Howe’s Magpies to North London. As we have discovered in recent weeks, and indeed recent seasons, pressure isn’t something Arsenal copes well with.
The Toon Army famously beat Arsenal at the Emirates in last season’s EFL Cup semifinal, with goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon securing the 2-0 win and the spot in the final at the expense of Mikel Arteta’s men. Should they deliver a similar dagger one year on, they may very well decide the fate of the title. And while the Magpies haven’t been as impressive this term as they have in recent seasons, names such as the aforementioned Gordon, a returning Bruno Guimarães, and his midfield partner Sandro Tonali are all proven match winners.
There are positives for the Gunners, though. Newcastle’s away form this season has been miserable, with the club managing just four away wins all season. That will give Arsenal plenty of confidence, and they will head into the clash as heavy favourites, although as we saw against Bournemouth, that may well count for very little.
West Ham United (A)
Arsenal’s third-to-last game of the season will see them travel across the capital to face off with West Ham United at the London Stadium. And while on paper the clash seems more than winnable, this Hammers team is currently fighting for its life at the bottom of the table, recently clawing its way out of the relegation zone with a 4-0 home victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers. With their top-flight status on the line, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men will be fighting tooth and nail to ensure they secure the victory, and that hunger could well be the Gunners’ undoing.
The Hammers have a semi-decent record against Arsenal in recent years. Their 1-0 victory at the Emirates two years ago played a crucial role in derailing the title challenge that season, and a similar display this year could do the same again.
Atletico Madrid – Champions League
Arsenal are, of course, still alive in the UEFA Champions League, and holding a 1-0 lead over Sporting CP heading into the second leg of their quarterfinal means they are huge favourites to progress to the final-four. Their likely semifinal opponents would be Atletico Madrid, who stunned Barcelona 2-0 in the Camp Nou, announcing themselves as title contenders in the process. And for Arsenal, a two-legged tie with Diego Simeone’s men could prove too much of a hurdle to overcome.
While the Gunners have been alive on four fronts this term, Atleti have been resting the likes of Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann for weeks as their La Liga title hopes were extinguished long ago. Those fresh legs, as well as a raucous Estadio Metropolitano, make Arsenal’s task unenviable at best, and their famous quadruple challenge could ultimately see them finish the campaign with zero trophies, despite all four looking possible just a few weeks ago.