Arsenal’s title bid was hit by a stunning 2-1 loss to Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The league leader blew the chance to move 12 points clear of second-placed Manchester City after for the third time in four games in all competitions.
鈥淚t’s a big punch to the face,鈥� Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. 鈥淣ow it鈥檚 about how we react to that, because it鈥檚 game on, it鈥檚 going to require now a big spirit, a lot of fight.鈥�
Liverpool got a glimpse of the future as 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha scored a brilliant solo goal in a 2-0 win against Fulham.
The forward curled in the opening goal at Anfield. Mohamed Salah added the second in his first game in front his home fans since announcing he was at the end of the season.
Arsenal feeling the pressure
Alex Scott struck a 74th-minute winner to pile pressure on Arsenal ahead of next week’s top-of-the-table clash at Manchester City.
Arsenal has played two more games than City, which travels to Chelsea on Sunday and could close the gap to six points.
鈥淭here are no gray areas now,鈥� Arteta said.
Arsenal has not won the title since 2004 and is slumping at the worst time. Defeats to City in the English League Cup final and to second-division Southampton in the FA Cup ended its pursuit of a quadruple of trophies.
It 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday but the latest loss will only heighten tension in the race for the English title after three straight years of finishing runner-up.
鈥淭he fact that as a club we haven鈥檛 done it for so long, there’s a reason for that, it talks about the difficulty,鈥� Arteta said.
Arsenal faces a huge week against Sporting in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday and then at City on Sunday.
Bournemouth went ahead inside 17 minutes through Junior Kroupi鈥檚 close-range goal. Viktor Gyokeres leveled from the penalty spot in the 35th but Arsenal struggled to create openings and Scott sealed the victory that potentially blew the title race open.
Bournemouth has won in back-to-back seasons at Arsenal and set a new club record of 12 straight games unbeaten in the Premier League.
While Arsenal remains in the driver’s seat at the top of the standings, the form guide does not make good reading from Arteta鈥檚 perspective.
League stats provider Opta said before kickoff that the Arsenal manager鈥檚 Premier League win percentage in April was 44%, compared to 79% for City’s Pep Guardiola.
鈥淪o today we have to suffer, it鈥檚 painful, it鈥檚 a terrible feeling, but tomorrow is a different day, and if somebody had said to me in August we are in this position right now in April, I鈥檓 sure we would all take it,鈥� Arteta said.
Old and new combine for Liverpool
As one great prepares to say goodbye to Liverpool, a new star is emerging.
Salah will bring the curtain down on an outstanding Anfield career at the end of the season 鈥� and even in a campaign in which his form has dipped he is still capable of getting fans out of their seats.
He did that with his goal late in the first half to double Liverpool’s lead, firing low past Bernd Leno.
But thoughts will naturally turn to the future and, in teenager Ngumoha, Liverpool has a talent to get excited about.
He announced himself early in the season with his dramatic late winner against Newcastle and he produced another special moment with his first Anfield goal.
鈥淟iverpool for me are the biggest club in the world. To start so young, and the manager having belief in me, and all the players … I鈥檝e just got to keep working hard and keep pushing on and just go again,鈥� Ngumoha said.
Liverpool tightened its grip on fifth place and Champions League qualification, moving four points clear of Chelsea in sixth.
Brentford frustrated by Everton
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall struck in stoppage time as Everton twice fought back from a goal down to draw at Brentford 2-2.
Igor Thiago twice gave Brentford the lead at Gtech Community Stadium from a third-minute penalty and a goal in the 76th.
Beto leveled for Everton in the first half and Dewsbury-Hall produced his dramatic equalizer in the first minute of added time.
Brentford missed the chance to move up to sixth.
Brazil striker Thiago has 24 goals in all competitions this season and 21 in the league. Only Erling Haaland with 22 has more.
Mats Wieffer scored in both halves as Brighton beat Burnley 2-0.
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