Arsenal suffered a major blow in their quest for the English Premier League title after losing at home yesterday to Bournemouth, who are ninth in the table, 1-2. This defeat gave Manchester City renewed hope of catching the leaders. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta described the loss as «a real heavy blow», calling on his players to show «more fighting spirit». With six matches remaining, Arsenal, seeking their first league title since 2004, leads the table by nine points from second-placed Manchester City. However, Pep Guardiola's men can reduce the gap to three points if they win against Chelsea today and then beat Arsenal in a highly anticipated top-of-the-table clash at the Etihad Stadium next week.
