Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted his side deserve criticism after surrendering a two-goal lead in a damaging 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night.
The league leaders appeared to be cruising at snowy Molineux after goals from Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapié put them firmly in control. Victory would have stretched their advantage at the top of the Premier League to seven points.
Instead, defensive lapses late in the game allowed Wolves to mount a dramatic comeback. Hugo Bueno halved the deficit with a fine strike before teenage debutant Tom Edozie capitalised on a mix-up between goalkeeper David Raya and centre-back Gabriel Magalhães to equalise deep into stoppage time.
The result leaves second-placed Manchester City five points behind Arsenal with a game in hand — and a crucial home meeting between the title rivals scheduled for April.
Arteta did not hide his frustration.
“Incredibly disappointed. We need to accept it. We need to be critical of ourselves because it was not good enough,” he said. “In the league, it is the reality that we have not been consistent over the last few months.”
The draw marked the second consecutive league match in which Arsenal failed to protect a lead, following last week’s 1-1 stalemate at Brentford. Alarmingly, the north London club have now dropped 11 points in eight league matches in 2026, a run that threatens to undermine their bid for a first league title since 2004.
Arteta, whose team have previously seen commanding leads slip away in recent title battles with City, acknowledged the psychological weight of the moment.
“In the second half we did not perform in the way we should and the way we require to win a Premier League match,” he said. “Certain basics we have to do, we did them so poorly one after the other. And then you have no dominance, no control in the game.”
Emotions boiled over at full time, with Raya and Gabriel involved in a heated exchange, while striker Gabriel Jesus clashed with Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera.
Despite the setback, Arteta insisted his squad must remain united ahead of a pivotal run of fixtures, beginning with Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham and a key home clash with Chelsea on March 1.
“You have to stand up,” he said. “When you have a moment of difficulty, we have to show how much we want it and how good we are.”
With the title race tightening and City poised to capitalise on any further slip, Arsenal’s margin for error is rapidly narrowing.
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