The Premier League title race took a fresh twist on Saturday when Bournemouth dented Arsenal’s charge.
However, Manchester City have little margin for error as they attempt to rein in the leaders when they head for Chelsea on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich smashed their own Bundesliga scoring record and in-form England skipper Harry Kane did not even have to break sweat.
Gunners punched in the face
Mikel Arteta described Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat by Bournemouth as a “big punch in the face” after the Premier League title race was blown wide open.
Five days after beating Sporting Lisbon in the opening leg of their Champions League quarter-final, Arsenal were desperately off the boil.
Junior Kroupi put Bournemouth ahead after 17 minutes before Viktor Gyokeres clawed Arsenal back into the game from the penalty spot, only for Alex Scott to win it.
Arteta said: “It’s a big punch in the face, and extremely disappointing. That’s what I said to the boys.
“We have to look at ourselves. We have to suffer. It’s painful. It’s a terrible feeling. But tomorrow is a different day. And if somebody would have said to me in August, we are in this position right now in April, I’m sure we would all have taken it.”
Pep talk
Pep Guardiola has admitted Manchester City’s crunch clash with Arsenal next week will be irrelevant if they fail to beat Chelsea on Sunday.
City’s title fate is back in their own hands after the Gunners’ shock loss to Bournemouth, but Arteta’s men still hold a nine-point advantage over City, who have two games in hand and an opportunity to take points from the leaders themselves when the sides meet at the Etihad Stadium next Sunday.
However, speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to Chelsea, Guardiola said: “Talking about Arsenal, if you don’t win at Stamford Bridge – that’s not an easy place to go – maybe we don’t need to make the press conference before Arsenal because it’ll be over.
“Everybody knows it. You know it, I know it, the players know it, everybody knows it. England knows it.”
No Harry Kane? No problem
Bayern Munich took their Bundesliga goal tally to a record 105 for the season as they closed in on another title with a 5-0 rout of St Pauli without Harry Kane.
Jamal Musiala’s early strike at the Millerntor Stadion equalled the 101 goals the Bayern team of 1971-72, which included greats Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Uli Hoeness and Gerd Muller, scored on their way to the title, but it was Leon Goretzka’s effort which eclipsed that feat.
Michael Olise, Nicolas Jackson and Raphael Guerreiro took the total to 105 on a night when things could hardly have gone better for head coach Vincent Kompany, who saw his team coast to victory to establish a 12-point lead over second-placed Borussia Dortmund, who had been beaten 1-0 at home by Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the day, with just five games to play.
Kane, who has 49 goals in all competitions this season, was named only among the substitutes as Kompany made seven changes ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid.
What’s on today?
Manchester City have a chance to capitalise on Arsenal’s slip-up when they head for Stamford Bridge knowing a win would reduce the gap to the leaders to six points with a game in hand.
Earlier, Tottenham will attempt to drag themselves out of the bottom three when they head for Sunderland looking for a first league win of 2026 in new boss Roberto De Zerbi’s first game.
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace host Newcastle and Aston Villa head for Nottingham Forest, while Rangers could climb to within a point of William Hill Premiership leaders Hearts with victory at Falkirk.
