Arsenal conceded crucial momentum on frontrunners Liverpool in the Premier League title chase with a 1-1 stalemate at Fulham on Sunday, as Bournemouth staged a 2-1 turnaround triumph to deny Ipswich Town their inaugural home success.
Leicester City also rallied from two goals down to secure a 2-2 stalemate with Brighton & Hove Albion.
William Saliba found the net, and Bukayo Saka had a late strike overturned for offside for Arsenal, who stayed second in the standings on 29 points, one ahead of third-placed Chelsea, who face Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday’s concluding fixture.
Liverpool retained the summit on 35 points with a match in hand after Saturday’s Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park was deferred due to Storm Darragh.
Titleholders Manchester City, who shared a 2-2 draw with struggling Crystal Palace on Saturday, sit fourth on 27 points.
Raul Jimenez shocked title-aspirants Arsenal when he opened Fulham’s account in the 11th minute on a damp and overcast afternoon. Saliba restored parity from close range soon after the break.
Arsenal believed they had clinched victory in the 88th minute when Saka nodded the ball in from short range, but VAR disallowed the goal.
“We controlled much of the match… It’s disappointing not to secure the win,” Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard told Sky Sports. “We need to concentrate on ourselves. Other teams (in the title race) are not our concern. There’s a long way to go. We’ve emphasized countless times that it’s a game-by-game process.”
Fulham, who also frustrated the Gunners both at home and away last season, have suffered only one loss in their past seven league encounters, climbing to 10th.
Bournemouth surged to eighth in the table after strikes from substitutes Enes Unal and Dango Ouattara propelled them to triumph over Ipswich, who remain four points away from the safety threshold in 18th position.
Ipswich had the superior early opportunities and took the lead in the 21st minute when Conor Chaplin slotted home.
Bournemouth grew into the contest and were finally rewarded when Unal headed home in the 87th minute, and Ouattara secured the winner in the fifth minute of additional time, dashing the hopes of home fans awaiting their first league success of the campaign at Portman Road.
“You begin to think it’s not your day, but fortunately, we seized our chances in the end,” Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola told the BBC. “The substitutes provided the finishing touch we had been lacking. We were getting into the right areas but failing to convert.”
Late goals by skipper Jamie Vardy and Bobby De Cordova-Reid salvaged Leicester City’s draw with Brighton at the King Power Stadium.
Tariq Lamptey handed the visitors the advantage in the 37th minute with a stunning left-footed effort before Yankuba Minteh extended Brighton’s lead in the 79th.
Vardy reduced the deficit seven minutes later before De Cordova-Reid equalized in injury time.
“How do you describe that? Sometimes it’s just football,” Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler told the BBC. “No justification. The blame is ours, and we must own it.”
Brighton are seventh in the league, while newly promoted Leicester sit five points clear of the relegation zone in 16th place.
