Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions on Tuesday, ending a 22-year wait for the title after Manchester City were held to a dramatic 1-1 draw by Bournemouth.
City needed victory to keep the race alive until the final day, but Bournemouth stretched their unbeaten league run to 17 matches, a remarkable sequence that has already secured European football for the first time in the club’s history.
For Arsenal, the result finally ended years of frustration. After finishing runners-up in each of the past three seasons, Mikel Arteta’s side have at last gone one step further, also bringing a six-year trophy drought to an end.
The Gunners moved to the brink of the title on Monday with a scrappy 1-0 win over already relegated Burnley, opening a five-point gap over City. Having led the race for much of the campaign, Arsenal responded emphatically to last month’s defeat against City by winning four consecutive league games without conceding.
City, meanwhile, arrived at the Vitality Stadium under a cloud of uncertainty. Just 48 hours after completing a domestic cup double by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final, reports emerged that Pep Guardiola will leave at the end of the season after a decade in charge.
Saturday’s triumph at Wembley delivered the 20th trophy of Guardiola’s glittering reign, but the Spaniard now appears set to miss out on what would have been a seventh Premier League crown. Aston Villa’s visit to the Etihad on Sunday is expected to mark his farewell match.
Guardiola had warned beforehand that fatigue could prove costly against an in-form Bournemouth side still dreaming of Champions League qualification.
As things stand, Bournemouth are guaranteed at least a Europa League place after securing a top-seven finish. Sixth place could yet bring Champions League football if Aston Villa finish fifth and go on to win Wednesday’s Europa League final.
The travelling City support attempted to rally their manager early on, chanting “One more year, Guardiola,” but the team failed to respond with the performance required.
City struggled throughout a subdued first half. Antoine Semenyo briefly thought he had scored against his former club, only for the flag to cut celebrations short.
Bournemouth then seized control in stunning fashion in the 39th minute when Eli Junior Kroupi curled a superb strike into the top corner, setting a new Premier League record for goals scored by a teenager in a debut season with his 13th.
City nearly responded immediately after the break, but Djordje Petrovic denied Nico O’Reilly from close range.
Guardiola could only watch on as his side’s title challenge faded away. Despite defeating Arsenal in what many viewed as the decisive clash last month, City surrendered control of the race with a damaging 3-3 draw at Everton.
The Spaniard now looks set to leave without winning the league in consecutive seasons for the first time in his managerial career.
Bournemouth could easily have wrapped up victory sooner, with both Rayan and David Brooks striking the post in what was Andoni Iraola’s final home game in charge.
Erling Haaland eventually rescued a point deep into stoppage time, but the equaliser arrived far too late to alter the destination of the title.
The late goal could still prove significant elsewhere, however. Liverpool now hold a three-point advantage over Bournemouth, along with a superior goal difference of six, in the race for a top-five finish and Champions League qualification heading into the final day.
AFP
