“I’m hoping for Antoine” – Bournemouth’s Alex Scott makes title race wish after Arsenal win

“I’m hoping for Antoine” – Bournemouth’s Alex Scott makes title race wish after Arsenal win

• Bournemouth’s Alex Scott has admitted he is hoping Man City beat Arsenal this weekend
• Midfielder texted ex-teammate Antoine Semenyo after his side’s 2-1 win over Arsenal
• Scott’s goal helped Bournemouth inflict a damaging defeat on Arsenal in the title race

Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott has revealed he is backing ex-teammate Antoine Semenyo and Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

Scott scored in Bournemouth‘s 2-1 victory over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, a result that handed Manchester City a significant boost in the title race and cut the gap between the two clubs to six points ahead of Sunday’s huge clash in Manchester.

The 22-year-old revealed in a post-match interview that he had been in contact with former Cherries teammate Antoine Semenyo following the final whistle, making no attempt to hide where his loyalties lie when it comes to the destination of the Premier League title.

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“I texted (Antoine) Semenyo afterwards, he was happy with us (Bournemouth) winning,” Scott said. “Obviously they’re top of the league, both are tough places to come, Man City away is always a really hard game, whoever wins it wins it.

“Antoine’s now at City so I’m hoping for Antoine but Arsenal have been brilliant all year – so whoever wins it, they will thoroughly deserve it.”

Scott’s goal hands City a timely gift

Scott’s intervention at the Emirates Stadium gave Pep Guardiola‘s side the platform they needed to take full advantage on Sunday, with City sweeping Chelsea aside 3-0 at Stamford Bridge to close the gap to Arsenal and set up what promises to be one of the most dramatic Premier League title showdowns in recent memory.

Semenyo has been a key contributor to City’s recent run of form since his January arrival, firing a warning to Arsenal after the club’s 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final rout of Liverpool and establishing himself as an important option for Guardiola on the right flank in the final weeks of the season.

Smith and Semenyo clearly retain a close bond from their time together on the south coast, with Scott’s comments adding a warm and personal sub-plot to a title race that has taken on new intensity following Arsenal’s recent struggles.

City’s players will no doubt have appreciated the support. Jeremy Doku has already declared that the race is on and that City will be “well prepared” for Sunday’s showdown, while Marc Guehi has sent his own title warning to Arsenal in the aftermath of the Chelsea victory. Now, it seems, they can count Bournemouth’s dressing room among those cheering them on.

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What is the wider context for City’s title push?

The significance of Bournemouth’s win at the Emirates Stadium cannot be overstated in the context of the title race. Arsenal’s poor run of form has coincided with Pep Guardiola’s men finding their usual business-end-of-the-season rhythm, precisely at the wrong moment for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

Guardiola had spoken candidly before the Chelsea game about the enormity of what lay ahead, insisting the title race would effectively be over without a win at Stamford Bridge.

City delivered emphatically and Arsenal’s stumble the day before means the Etihad Stadium showdown on Sunday now carries title implications that would have seemed unthinkable even a fortnight ago.

For City, the message from across the dressing room and now from the Bournemouth camp too is the same: believe.