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AFC Bournemouth’s hopes of securing a European spot took a hit after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa at the Vitality Stadium. Despite an impressive performance from goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, the Cherries struggled to break down Villa’s defensive setup, leaving them in tenth place with two games remaining. Bournemouth is two points behind Brentford and Brighton, with a superior goal difference, as they prepare for crucial fixtures against Manchester City and Leicester.
Kepa Arrizabalaga said: “We had a good opportunity to at least get one point. We need all the points because we’re fighting with another three clubs to reach this eighth place. And yeah, we lose the opportunity. Now, probably we should win or we hope to win the last two games to go maybe to Europe. But it’s not going to be easy.”
Kepa Arrizabalaga continued: “I think to be fighting with the European spot until the last two games is a good sign, I think for the club it’s a big step. But so far I think it’s been a great season. I enjoy a lot personally also playing in front of the fans here at home. And now we have two difficult games. Obviously, Man City away is maybe the toughest game of the season. But we did it also against Arsenal last week. So we have 10 days to prepare the game, to set everything right. And we will fight for sure. We will go there and we will fight until the end.”
Reflecting on the Villa game, Kepa Arrizabalaga added: “They wanted to control the game, play a low rhythm. And we don’t like this one. We need a bit of chaos. We need a bit of transition. And we didn’t have this transition until the last 10/15 minutes where we put a bit more crosses. We had some good opportunities also at the end, but yeah, we were unlucky.”
Despite the setback, Kepa highlighted his individual contributions, making crucial saves, including a notable stop from a Boubacar Kamara free header. He emphasized his commitment to supporting the team in their remaining fixtures. Bournemouth’s upcoming matches against Manchester City and Leicester will be pivotal in their quest for European qualification, as they aim to capitalize on their superior goal difference over rivals Brentford and Brighton.
