Arsenal survived a massive scare in their pursuit of the English Premier League title as they came back from two goals down to beat Bournemouth 3-2 with a last gasp winner from Reiss Nelson in a rip-roaring contest in north London on Saturday.
With referee Chris Kavanagh set to blow the final whistle in the seventh minute of stoppage time a corner was cleared out to Nelson who smashed home a left-footed shot to spark bedlam inside the Emirates Stadium.
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 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 kickoff 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. When Marcos Senesi rose unmarked to head in Bournemouth’s second goal just before the hour it looked as though Arsenal’s grip on top spot was coming loose.
Then began an Arsenal comeback that could prove a pivotal moment in their hopes of winning the Premier League title for the first time since 2004. Thomas Partey prodded a shot past Neto shortly after the hour mark, and eight minutes later substitute Ben White’s volley crossed the line despite Neto’s desperate dive.
Arsenal laid siege to the Bournemouth goal but it appeared the visitors had held on for a precious point in their own desperate fight against relegation. But substitute Nelson supplied the sucker-punch to re-establish Arsenal’s five-point lead over City. Mikel Arteta’s side have 63 points from 26 games with City on 58. Bournemouth are in 19th place with 21 points.
Foden excels again
Earlier, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva scored as Manchester City recorded a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United. Foden, who had been sidelined earlier this season with a nagging foot injury, put City ahead in the 15th minute with his fourth goal in three games in all competitions.
The midfielder showed remarkable control, weaving through four Newcastle defenders and into the box before his angled shot glanced off the outstretched foot of Sven Botman and past keeper Nick Pope. Silva came off the bench in the 65th minute and the Portugal international scored two minutes later with a sharp finish past Pope after a flick from Erling Haaland.
While the result will be disappointing for Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, as his side looked to bounce back from last weekend’s League Cup final defeat, there were plenty of positives for him in defeat.
His side were on top when Erling Haaland set up Silva to make it 2-0 from the edge of the area, with Joelinton going close and substitute Alexander Isak denied by an onrushing Ederson.
Blues win, finally
Welsey Fofana scored his first league goal for Chelsea as the Blues beat Leeds to ease the pressure on manager Graham Potter. After a run of just one win in their past 15 games, there was a sense that three points were a must for Potter, despite insisting he retained the support of the club’s owners before the game.
Brighton beat a listless West Ham 4-0 at home in a one-sided performance to enhance their chances of qualifying for European competition next season.
Written with inputs from Reuters
