Sports News | Arsenal''s Champions League Preparations Go Wrong After Another Loss to Bournemouth
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. This was not the way Arsenal wanted to prepare for the Champions League semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain.
London, May 4 (AP) This was not the way Arsenal wanted to prepare for the Champions League semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain.
Ahead of Wednesday's crucial second leg in Paris, Mikel Arteta's team squandered another lead and lost to Bournemouth 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.
PSG also lost by the same score against Strasbourg but the context was different.
PSG, leading 1-0 after the first leg against Arsenal, has already wrapped up the Ligue 1 title and coach Luis Enrique rested front-line players.
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While Arsenal's title hopes were ended last week, its bid to be runner-up for the third year in a row was under threat from Manchester City and Newcastle, and even Champions League qualification is not yet certain.
Defeat at home to Bournemouth continued its alarming domestic slump in the second half of the season.
Arsenal has won only three of its last 10 league games and just one of the last five.
Blowing the lead against Bournemouth was the fourth time in five league games that Arsenal has dropped points from a winning position.
Declan Rice opened the scoring but Bournemouth turned the game on its head after the break.
Dean Hujsen headed the visitor level from a corner and Evanilson poked in the winner from close range eight minutes later.
Bournemouth completed a league double against Arsenal this season, following a 2-0 win in the reverse game in October.
Arsenal is three points ahead of City with three rounds to go. Fourth-placed Newcastle is five behind Arsenal with a game in hand.
Villa boost
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Youri Tielemans kept Aston Villa in the hunt for Champions League qualification.
The midfielder's first-half header sealed a 1-0 win over Fulham that moved seventh-placed Villa level on points with Chelsea in fifth and Nottingham Forest in sixth.
Villa bounced back after losing the FA Cup semifinal against Crystal Palace a week earlier.
“We wanted that win so badly in front of our fans, especially after last week," Tielemans said. "This was a massive win for us."
The top five teams qualify for next season's Champions League and just four points separate third-placed Manchester City and Villa.
Tielemans headed in powerfully from an early corner but Villa could not extend its lead. Substitute Donyell Malen hit the bar in stoppage time.
Villa was a Champions League quarterfinalist this season after a 41-year absence from Europe's top club competition. But its season has come off the rails in recent weeks after being eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain, losing to top-five rival Manchester City and being knocked out of the FA Cup.
Returning to the Champions League would end the season on a high.
“We're not favorites because other teams are in front of us, but we can continue to dream for it, playing strongly to take again the Champions League,” manager Unai Emery said. “The real objective is for us to be in Europe, and after today we are close to being in there.”
Rare win
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Leicester won for the first time since January by beating last-placed Southampton 2-0.
With both teams already relegated, there was little but pride at stake at King Power Stadium and Leicester gave its fans some rare cheer with only its fifth league win.
Club great Jamie Vardy — leaving at the end of the season — scored in the 17th and Jordan Ayew added the second from a free kick just before halftime.
Leicester's last win was on Jan. 26 against Tottenham.
Southampton's 28th loss of a miserable campaign could see it equal Derby's record for the lowest points total in a Premier League. Derby ended the 2008-09 campaign with 11 points.
With three rounds remaining, Southampton has 11 points.
Ipswich comeback
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Relegated Ipswich fought back from 2-0 down to draw with Everton 2-2.
Beto and Dwight McNeil put Everton in control in the Merseyside club's penultimate game at Goodison Park before it moves to a new stadium.
But Julio Enciso's stunning long-range effort before the break sparked a comeback for Ipswich. Substitute George Hirst leveled with a far post header.
Late Championship drama
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Manor Soloman scored in added time to win the second division title for Leeds.
A 2-1 comeback win against Plymouth saw Leeds edge Burnley by goal difference at the top of the Championship.
Both teams were promoted to the Premier League with 100 points.
Burnley started the final day of the Championship in second place and looked set to be crowned champion by beating Millwall 3-1. That was until Soloman's dramatic late goal for Leeds in the first minute of added time.
Coventry and Bristol City joined Sheffield United and Sunderland in the playoffs for the last promotion spot.
Luton Town, a top flight team last season, suffered back-to-back relegations after losing to West Brom 5-3, and will play in the third tier of English soccer. (AP) AM
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