Arsenal stage thrilling fightback ... to maintain their five-point lead
Arsenal ............................ 3 Bournemouth ................. 2
LONDON – Arsenal survived a massive scare in their pursuit of the Premier League title, as they hit back from two goals down - the first one hit within 10 seconds of the start - to beat Bournemouth 3-2 with a lastgasp winner from Reiss Nelson in a rip-roaring contest in North London yesterday.
With referee Chris Kavanagh poised to blow the final whistle in the seventh minute of stoppage time, a corner was cleared out to Nelson who took a touch before smashing home a left-footed shot to spark bedlam inside the Emirates Stadium.
“It was madness from the first second. We kept trying and dominating the game. We had a mountain to climb and we took it bit by bit,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told the BBC.
“When it’s ugly and when it’s difficult, that’s what big teams do. We have to make it easier for ourselves. But this is the Premier League. There is nothing like sharing those great moments with your people.”
Manchester City’s earlier 2-0 defeat of Newcastle United had ratcheted up the pressure on Arsenal, cutting their lead to two points, and when relegation-threatened Bournemouth’s Philip Billing scored after nine seconds the hosts were stunned.
Timed at 9.11 seconds, Billing’s close-range finish from an audacious attack straight from the kick-off was the second-quickest goal ever scored in the Premier League era.
Shane Long’s effort 7.69 seconds after kick-off for Southampton against Watford in 2019 is the quickest.
Arsenal dominated possession and were denied by a combination of visiting keeper Neto and some last-ditch defending, although Bournemouth had their moments too with home keeper Aaron Ramsdale making a crucial save from Dango Ouattara who should have made it 2-0.
Bournemouth rode their luck, and their fans were in dreamland when Marcos Senesi rose unmarked to head in a second for his side just before the hour mark. It looked as though Arsenal’s grip on top spot might just be coming loose.
Then began an Arsenal comeback that could prove pivotal in their hopes of winning the Premier League title for the first time since 2004.