AFC Bournemouth Stun Arsenal at the Emirates to go 10th

Arsenal’s title hopes suffered a painful blow on Saturday lunchtime, as Bournemouth claimed a 2-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium, extending the Cherries’ unbeaten Premier League run to 12 matches - their longest since promotion in 2015.

The result means Mikel Arteta’s side are still top of the table on 70 points from 32 games but their lead over Manchester City stays at nine points, having played two matches more than Pep Guardiola’s side - and plus, they have to visit the Etihad too.

The stats show that Arsenal fired in 15 shots to Bournemouth’s 8, and held a 2.41 vs 1.20 expected-goals advantage, yet unlike their recent showings, where their goal return has superseded xG, this was the opposite, as they were let down by wastefulness in front of goal - compounded by some clinical finishing from the Cherries.

Iraola's men struck first in the 17th minute. A majestic cut-through pass from Ryan Christie released Adrien Truffert down the left, and his cross deflected off William Saliba and fell perfectly for 19-year-old teenage sensation Junior Kroupi, who tapped home at the far post for his tenth goal of the season.

The Frenchman became only the second player in Premier League history - after Coventry’s Robbie Keane in 2000 - to reach double figures in a debut campaign.

Arsenal were missing Bukayo Saka for a fourth successive game, and Kai Havertz deputised for the injured Martin Ødegaard, and, as a result - looked fairly anxious.

Declan Rice consistently delivered razor sharp balls into the box from set pieces for the hosts, yet ironically, it was the worst corner of the day, taken by Noni Madueke - that caused chaos in the box which let to the equaliser. Whilst the ball fell short of its intended target, a melee than occurred which saw Christie handle from a shot close-range, and referee Michael Oliver had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Viktor Gyökeres, Arsenal’s leading scorer, insisted on taking the penalty and slammed it past Dorđe Petrović in the 35th minute to level the scores.

Despite levelling the game up, the atmosphere remained tense and usually cool Arteta seemed to be a bundle of nerves on the touchline. In the second half he responded by throwing on Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard and the fearless Max Dowman in a triple substitution aimed at injecting urgency to the Gunners attack.

However Bournemouth always looked a threat on the break, and the more the game went on, you sensed that Arsenal's desperation would play into Iraola's hands - and it did.

The decisive moment arrived in the 74th minute. A slick move involving Kroupi, substitute David Brooks and Evanilson saw the Brazilian flick the ball into the path of Alex Scott, who took a touch and coolly beat Raya to stun the home crowd - a beautiful finish which surely enhanced his credentials for inclusion in Tuchel's world cup squad - his "call me" gesture in his celebration seemed to even allude to that.

Arsenal pushed hard late on, however Gyökeres missed a golden chance and Gabriel Jesus saw a header tipped over - but Bournemouth defended heroically.

James Hill and Álex Jiménez made vital blocks, preserving a result that was fully merited given the sides consistency and composure.

For Arsenal, a third defeat in four matches underlined mounting anxieties at the business end of a relentless season, and next weekend’s trip to the Etihad suddenly feels even more pivotal.

For Bournemouth, the win moves them up to 10th in the table, just a few points shy of sixth placed Chelsea.