Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal suffered a major blow after losing to Bournemouth
Mikel Arteta pulled no punches after Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat by Bournemouth dealt a major blow to their Premier League title hopes, insisting his players’ reaction in the coming days will determine whether this season delivers on what left the club for 22 years.
Junior Kroupi gave the visitors the lead on 17 minutes with an easy finish behind the post after Myles Lewis-Skelly was caught at the far post, before Viktor Gyokeres equalized from the spot before the break.
But Alex Scott slotted through Arsenal’s weak midfield to restore Bournemouth’s lead on 74 minutes, and despite a last-gasp surge from the home side, the Gunners couldn’t go through. Boos surrounded the Emirates at full-time.
“It’s disappointing,” Arteta told TNT Sports. “It’s a big punch in the face and it’s about how we react now, they’re an 11-game unbeaten team for a reason, they’ve done a lot the right way.
“We were far from efficient. The first chance they got to attack the box, it’s a deflection, a bad defensive action and a goal. It’s something we have to fix.”
A Week That Will Define Arsenal’s Season
The timing couldn’t be worse. Manchester City, nine points clear before the weekend, face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and could cut the gap to six – with a game in hand and a clash at the Etihad still to come on April 19.
Arteta admitted his squad was below the required standard, but stopped short of panicking about the overall picture in the race for the crown.
“In the second half, you expect a different game,” he said. “We did a lot of unusual things today. We have been consistent. This is possible, football.”
Regarding whether the players feel the pain of the result, he added: “It’s a lot, it must be painful, they must take it on the chin.
“It’s a big week. There’s a lot at stake. We’re in a good position in both competitions.”
Two sides are fighting
That big week starts on Wednesday when Sporting Lisbon visit the Emirates in the second leg of the Champions League quarter final.
Arsenal held a 1-0 advantage in the first leg, but the situation we will enter will have to be a lot different from what was on display here.
The league defeat was Arsenal’s third in four games in all competitions – following the Carabao Cup final loss to City and the FA Cup exit at Southampton – and Arteta’s use of the word “consistency” felt deliberate.
A long quality time at the top of the table should not be buried under one bad afternoon.
But the way they responded then, with Sporting’s win in midweek, is exactly what is needed again.
Bournemouth, unbeaten in 11 Premier League games, were united, dangerous at the break and fully deserved to win. For Arsenal, the next seven days will say everything about whether this team has what it takes when the pressure is on.
