'Big punch in the face' - could Arsenal really blow title from here?

Spor dünyasında son dakika haberi: 'Big punch in the face' - could Arsenal really blow title from here? Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Arsenal have lost three of their last four matches By Alex Howell Arsenal reporter at Emirates Stadium Published 8 minutes ago 21 Comments Top of the league and in charge of the title race only to fade away and be pipped at the post - Arsenal have been there before. But nine points clear after 32 games played and still failing to win the league?

No team in Premier League history has capitulated to that extent. Could Mikel Arteta's side really be the first to throw it away from that position? After back-to-back draws for nearest rivals Manchester City , along with a four-game winning streak for the Gunners, many were beginning to assume Arsenal 's 22-year wait for the Premier League title was finally set to end.

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Saturday's chastening 2-1 home defeat by Bournemouth , however, has once again left the door ajar for Pep Guardiola's side. "They could blow it playing like that," said former Newcastle and England forward Alan Shearer, who is a pundit on Saturday's Match of the Day. "They were poor in every department.

No energy, flat – they looked very, very nervous. "The whole place seemed nervous. As they haven't won it for so long I perhaps understand, but they have to get through that or they're going to miss out.

" Arteta described Arsenal 's first league defeat since January as "a big punch to the face" and a "painful day". "That's what I said to the boys - and now it's about how we react to that," he added. Their next league game is at Manchester City next Saturday - and it could now go a long way to deciding the title.

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History still on the Gunners' side - what the stats say Nine points clear with six games to play - you would have thought it was practically a done deal for Arsenal , despite the defeat by Bournemouth . As it is, with games in hand a factor, they may not even be top by the time they next play at Emirates Stadium. If Manchester City beat Chelsea on Sunday they will cut the gap to six points, and will trim the deficit further if they are able to beat the Gunners next Sunday.

City then travel to Burnley for their other game in hand on Wednesday, 22 April. Another victory in that match - providing they have been able to wipe out Arsenal 's six-goal advantage on goal difference by then - will see Guardiola's side sit top with five to play. The title race does still remain in Arsenal 's hands - but it is now also in Manchester City 's given the game between the two next weekend.

Manchester United threw away an eight-point advantage after 32 games in 2011-12 - when City went on to win the title - but a nine-point lead has never been surrendered at this stage of a season. Arteta's men have, however, gained a reputation for letting leads slip. They were top after 32 games played in 2022-23 and finished second, although they were only five points ahead of City, who also had two games in hand then.

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