Arsenal hit choppy waters as title remains agonisingly on horizon

The tension at the Emirates Stadium was so thick it seemed as though Arsenal’s players were wading through quicksand on Saturday as they laboured to a costly defeat by Bournemouth.

Every stray pass was met with groans from the crowd ​while manager Mikel Arteta’s face was contorted with tension at times as his Premier League leaders misfired again.

Victory ‌would have put Arsenal 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League and fans could really have believed that a first English title since 2004 was within touching distance.

Instead, a 2-1 defeat leaves it tantalisingly on the horizon but with choppy waters still to negotiate.

With six games left, ​Arsenal are nine points ahead of City but crucially Pep Guardiola’s side have two games in hand, starting with ​Sunday’s clash with Chelsea.

City host Arsenal next weekend and also face second-from-bottom Burnley a few days later, ⁠so they have it in their hands to eradicate Arsenal’s lead by April 22.

Should that happen, a fourth successive runners-up finish ​would become a strong possibility, but this one would represent a crushing blow that Arteta might struggle to recover from.

“We know what ​is at stake and the fact at the club we have not done it for so long is a difficulty,” the Spaniard acknowledged on Saturday after his side’s fourth league defeat of the season. “Let’s try and do all the things we’ve done for nine months because that has taken ​us there.”

When Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 in their previous Premier League game almost a month ago there was even talk of a ​possible quadruple. Since then they suffered a comprehensive League Cup final defeat by City and a shock quarter-final exit in the FA Cup to ‌second-tier ⁠Southampton.

A 1-0 win away to Sporting in the Champions League quarter-final first leg seemed to have steadied the ship, but Saturday’s display against Bournemouth will have given more ammunition to those who are questioning Arsenal’s nerve.

Arteta was quick to play down suggestions his players were becoming inhibited by pressure after the Bournemouth defeat.

“I don’t think there is pressure, we have been coping with a lot of ​pressure since the beginning of the ​season,” he said.

“Today there ⁠were some actions that are very far from the level that we have shown and that shocks the system.

“We ask a lot from our crowd and today we didn’t respond to those standards ​and we have to apologise, take it on the chin and move on.”

Worryingly for Arsenal, ​the downturn in their ⁠form goes back further than the Cup defeats.

In reality they were fortunate to beat Everton and Brighton and Hove Albion in their two previous league games and during their nine-match unbeaten league run were also held to draws by bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford.

The ⁠one shining ​light on Saturday was a strong display by Viktor Gyokeres, who levelled from ​the penalty spot and had another goal ruled out for offside.

Despite Arsenal’s wobble, he remains calm.

“I’m very confident. We don’t need to get stuck too much on ​what happened today. We need to look forward and be positive,” the Sweden forward said.