Arsenal and City log wins, keep title battle going
LONDON: Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard inspired Arsenal to a 3-0 win against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Gunners’ fourth successive victory ensured that Manchester City will not be able to knock them out of pole position this weekend. Manchester City rode four goals from Erling Haaland to beat Wolves 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium later on Saturday night. Arsenal have 83 points in 36 matches while Man City have 82 points in 35 matches.
Saka’s penalty put Mikel Arteta’s side ahead on the stroke of half-time at the Emirates Stadium. Trossard and Declan Rice struck in the closing stages to secure a vital three points.
Chasing their first title since 2004, the Gunners will need Manchester City to slip up in at least one of their three remaining games. Arsenal’s 26th Premier League victory this season equalled the club’s top-flight record for a single campaign.
Arteta’s men gifted the title to City last season after a blowing an eight-point lead in the closing weeks.
But the north Londoners have learned from that meltdown, winning 14 of their 16 league games in 2024 to stay firmly in the hunt. Arsenal travel to Manchester United in their penultimate game next weekend before hosting Everton in what they hope will be a potential title clincher on May 19.
Arteta was a childhood friend of Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola back home in Spain, but there was no room for sentimentality with the title on the line.
Bournemouth keeper Mark Travers was destined for a busy afternoon and it wasn’t long before he made his first save to deny Kai Havertz from a tight angle. Even Arsenal defender William Saliba was willing to rumble forward, cleverly cutting back to find space for a shot that Travers saved at his near post.
Travers repelled a stinging strike from Saka, with Takehiro Tomiyasu’s effort cleared off the line from the resulting corner.
Unmarked 10 yards from goal, Declan Rice lashed narrowly wide from Havertz’s knock down, a miss that left anxiety and frustration etched all over Arteta’s face. Arteta could finally relax in the 45th minute when Havertz left his leg dangling to ensure he was tripped by the slightest contact from Travers as the German skipped around him. Saka stepped up to calmly slot the penalty down the middle for his 20th goal in all competitions this season.
Saka should have doubled Arsenal’s lead soon after halftime, but his scuffed close-range shot from Havertz’s pass was straight at Travers.