Mikel Arteta sends message to his Arsenal players after ‘painful’ title race setback

Football
12 Apr 2026 • 12:08 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Arsenal suffered a significant blow to their Premier League title aspirations after a shock 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth.
  • The unexpected loss, Arsenal’s third consecutive domestically, has dramatically opened the door for Manchester City to close the gap at the top of the table.
  • Junior Kroupi put Bournemouth ahead, Viktor Gyokeres equalised from the penalty spot, but Alex Scott secured the win for the visitors in the second half.
  • Manager Mikel Arteta described the defeat as a “big punch in the face” and “extremely disappointing”, acknowledging poor basic performance from his team.
  • Arteta said he and his players must “look at ourselves” following the “painful” defeat, as he admitted it was a “terrible feeling” for his team to lose at such a crucial point in the season.

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