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Premier League leaders Arsenal suffered a major setback in their push for a first title in 22 years after losing 2-1 at home to Bournemouth, a side featuring Turkish international Enes Unal.
The defeat left Arsenal stuck on 70 points despite having played more matches than closest rivals Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who sit on 61 points and still have games in hand.
With just weeks remaining in the season, the result has opened up the race, especially with a direct meeting between the two sides scheduled for next week.
Bournemouth, unbeaten in their previous 11 matches, carried that momentum into the game at Emirates Stadium.
The visitors went ahead in the 17th minute through Eli Kroupi and later doubled their lead in the 74th minute via Alex Scott.
Arsenal briefly got back into the contest when Viktor Gyokeres converted a penalty in the 35th minute, but they could not find an equalizer despite sustained pressure.
Turkish forward Enes Unal entered the match in the 90th minute, replacing Evanilson, as Bournemouth saw out the victory and moved up to 45 points.
Manchester City now has a clear opportunity to close the gap.
The defending champions are set to face Crystal Palace in a rescheduled match, followed by an away trip to Chelsea and then the crucial clash against Arsenal.
Should Guardiola’s side come through this run without dropping points, they could draw level at the top with five matches left to play, setting up a dramatic finish to the season.
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