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Friday March 29, 2024

Arsenal back in title race with win at Bournemouth

By our correspondents
February 08, 2016

LONDON: Arsenal re-established themselves as serious contenders for their first Premier League title since 2004 with a comfortable victory at lowly Bournemouth on Sunday.

A first win in four games took them level on points with second-placed Tottenham Hotspur, their bitter local rivals who have a superior goal difference.

After more than five hours without a league goal, Arsenal scored two in little more than a minute midway through the first half through Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Arsene Wenger’s team are still five points behind leaders Leicester City but play at home to them next Sunday.

It was their first league win since January 2, when they had played two goalless draws and lost 1-0 to Chelsea.

“It was a must-win game for us today,” Wenger told BBC Sport.

“Leicester have made a big impression in the last week after their results. They have suddenly become the favourites in the Premier League and it makes our game (next week) a big game,” he added.

Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey was heavily involved in both goals. In the 23rd minute, he crossed for Olivier Giroud to head down and give Ozil the opportunity to score.

Bournemouth had not recovered before Ramsey sent Oxlade-Chamberlain through to score his first league goal since September 2014 — and first away from home — with an angled drive.

Former Arsenal youth team striker Benik Afobe could make no impression against his old club and was substituted before two late saves from Petr Cech preserved the visitors’ clean sheet.

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe felt Arsenal should have had midfielder Mathieu Flamini sent off early in the game for a tackle on Dan Gosling that brought only a yellow card.

“I thought it was a red card,” he told Sky Sports.

“I haven’t seen it again but it looked two-footed and potentially off the floor.

It wasn’t a difficult decision,” he added.

Bournemouth, playing their first season in the Premier league, remain 15th, five points above the relegation zone.

Earlier on Saturday night, Tottenham Hotspur moved above Manchester City into second place thanks to Kieran Trippier scoring in a 1-0 win over Watford at White Hart Lane. Spurs’ tremendous teenage prospect Alli had been left out of the starting XI following his withdrawal at halftime against Norwich in midweek because he was suffering from a dizzy spell.

Yet after Spurs had dominated affairs only to find Huerelho Gomes an imposing obstacle in Watford’s goal, Alli was introduced just after the hour and, within three minutes, his pinpoint low cross from the left gave the excellent Tripper a tap-in at the far post.

Alli’s fifth assist to go with six goals in his last 13 Premier League games was a harsh reward for the dazzling performance by Gomes, who had twice thwarted Ben Davies in the first half and Son Heung-min after the break.

Sunderland, in 19th place, scored twice in the final eight minutes to draw 2-2 at Liverpool. They staged the comeback of the day at Anfield where thousands of Liverpool fans walked out in the 77th minute in protest against rising ticket prices, the timing symbolic with the club intending to charge a top price of 77 pounds ($111.65) next season.

Liverpool, with goals from Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana, were 2-0 up when many of the home fans left and they at least missed their side’s capitulation as efforts by Adam Johnson and Jermain Defoe, a minute from time, earned Sunderland a point.

Anfield boss Juergen Klopp missed the game after suffering suspected appendicitis.

Everton struck thrice in the first half on the way to a comfortable 3-0 victory at Stoke City, while Southampton beat West Ham United 1-0 despite having Victor Wanyama sent off in the 54th minute. After a storming start, the Saints forged ahead after just eight minutes when their Japanese defender Maya Yoshida prodded home Saido Mane’s delivery from close range.

When Yoshida stood on Enner Valencia’s foot, the Hammers’ penalty claims were waved away by Mark Clattenburg but the referee offered them a lifeline nine minutes after the break when showing Wanyama a straight red for a lunging challenge on Dimitri Payet, whose theatrical howls helped seal his fate.

Southampton were under the cosh for much of the rest of the game but held out to record their fifth consecutive clean sheet in the league and inflict only the Hammers’ second defeat in 14 League and Cup games.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United clawed their way out of the relegation zone after Aleksandar Mitrovic netted in a 1-0 home victory over West Bromwich Albion. Norwich City dropped into the bottom three after a 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa.