Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal's 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth was 'a big punch in the face' and apologised to supporters for a substandard performance. Alex Scott struck the winner 16 minutes from time after Viktor Gyökeres had equalised from the spot for the Gunners, following Eli Junior Kroupi's opener.
The result hands Manchester City the chance to cut Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League table to six points, with a game in hand, when they face Chelsea on Sunday. Arsenal travel to the Etihad Stadium next weekend in a pivotal clash.
'It's a big punch in the face, that's what I said to the boys, and now it's about how we react to that,' said Arteta. 'There's no grey areas. We need to be very, very, very strong and determined to approach it in a different way than we've done today, especially when the game wasn't going our way.'
The Arsenal manager acknowledged the pressure of the club's 22-year wait for a league title contributed to anxiety among supporters. 'We know what is at stake,' he said. 'The fact that as a club we haven't done it for so long is a reason for that.'
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola praised his side's character after ending a run of five draws with a statement victory. 'We showed great personality to play in a big game and a big stadium,' he said. 'We had very good spells on the ball. We were finding good gaps in the middle.'
