LONDON :Bournemouth won away at Arsenal for the first time in the Premier League on Saturday, and completed a memorable double to boost their chances of playing in Europe next season, thanks to a second-half fightback en route to a thrilling 2-1 win.
Aston Villa beat Fulham 1-0 to improve their hopes of finishing in the league’s top five and qualifying for the Champions League, while Leicester City defeated fellow relegated side Southampton 2-0 to end their nine-game drought without a goal at King Power Stadium.
Everton’s emotional farewell to Goodison Park continued with an entertaining 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town as the relegated visitors came from two goals down to rescue a point.
At Emirates, Arsenal’s preparations for their huge Champions League second leg against Paris St Germain on Wednesday took a huge blow after Bournemouth’s Evanilson and Dean Huijsen scored in quick succession.
Declan Rice gave the Gunners the lead in the 34th minute, rounding goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and producing an accomplished finish on his 100th Arsenal appearance.
Arsenal had chances to extend their lead, but Dean Huijsen gave Bournemouth a deserved equaliser in the 67th minute before Evanilson bundled home eight minutes later to complete the turnaround.
“Massive disappointment,” Gunners captain Martin Odegaard told Sky Sports. “It is too chaotic and too sloppy from us. The second half is not acceptable.
“It is a massive game on Wednesday, but we have to use today to be ready and beat PSG on Wednesday.”
Bournemouth move up to eighth in the table, which could be enough for European football next season, with 53 points, while Arsenal, who have just two league wins from six games, stay second with 67 points, three points above third-placed Manchester City.
“First of all we knew that we have never got a point here and that motivated us more. We’re a team that always give our all,” Huijsen told Sky Sports. “It’s a really important three points for us.”
At Villa Park, Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans headed home John McGinn’s 12th-minute corner.
Tielemans almost set up a second goal for Ollie Watkins and was narrowly wide with a superb curling effort on the stroke of halftime as Villa returned to winning ways and extended their unbeaten home league run to 17 games.
Villa remained in seventh place with three games left but they are now level on 60 points with Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, both of whom have a game in hand.
“Europe is very important for the club and for our progress to try get another UEFA trophy,” Villa boss Unai Emery told the BBC. “Champions League is our dream – we are so motivated to be there again.”
BIG BLOW
Defeat was a big blow to Fulham’s own European hopes, leaving them ninth and potentially lower after other results this weekend.
Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy finally gave home fans something to cheer about with his 199th goal for the Foxes, ending a home goal drought that stretched back to December 8.
Playing in his penultimate home game for the Foxes, Vardy struck in the 17th minute when he latched onto Bilal El Khannouss’s cross and fired home. The 38-year-old announced recently he would leave Leicester at the end of the season after 13 years.
“There’s only one man to do it best, that’s Jamie with a great finish with his left,” Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy told Premier League Productions. “He broke that cycle and gave us that lift.”
Jordan Ayew also scored to secure Leicester their fifth win of the season. They are 19th on 21 points, while bottom side Southampton have 11 points and only three games left to avoid being the joint-worst team in Premier League history.
At Goodison, Beto and Dwight McNeil put Everton 2-0 up in the penultimate game at the famous old ground before the club move to a new home on the banks of the River Mersey next season.
But a stunning strike from Julio Enciso and a late header by George Hirst brought Ipswich level as Everton failed to convert their chances to put the game to bed and had to settle for a 15th draw of the campaign.
Everton moved to 14th place in the table with 39 points from 35 games, and Ipswich remained 18th.
It was the last Saturday 3pm kick-off at Goodison Park some 132 years after the first with the final game at the grand old stadium against Southampton on Sunday May 18.
“We wanted to finish (at Goodison Park) on as high with two wins, not doing that today makes the last one against Southampton even more important,” McNeil told PLP.
