Premier League title challengers Arsenal suffered another blow on Saturday when they threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with bottom-placed Wolves at Molineux, giving Manchester City renewed hope in the race.
The Gunners looked to be in complete control after Bukayo Saka’s early opener and Piero Hincapie’s second-half strike put them firmly in control. But Hugo Bueno’s stunning effort reignited Wolves’ belief before substitute Tom Edozie scored on his debut with a late equalizer to stun the visitors.
The slip leaves Arsenal just five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, despite having played a game more. More worryingly for Mikel Arteta’s side, it was yet another reminder of their recent inconsistency, with just two wins in their last seven league games.
Arteta admitted after the game that Arsenal had no excuses for the collapse and said the criticism was fully deserved.
“Obviously that’s down to Wolves, you can’t underestimate them,” Arteta said. “It’s very basic things and simple things that we did really poorly today.”
The Arsenal boss was blunt in his assessment of his team’s performance and urged his players to respond quickly.
“Any question, criticism, opinion, you have to take it on the chin today. That’s it. Any bullet, take it because we didn’t perform at the level we wanted,” he added.
Arsenal looked set for a vital away win after Hincapie’s first goal for the club doubled their lead early in the second half. But Bueno’s strike just after the hour shifted the tempo and Wolves continued to press until Edozie delivered a dramatic equalizer late on.
The draw follows last week’s 1-1 stalemate against Brentford and means City can cut the gap to two points if they win their game. Pep Guardiola’s side also host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on April 18 in what could be a decisive fixture.
Arsenal now face an immediate chance of renewal when they travel to Tottenham for a north London derby on Sunday, a game which Arteta described as “another great opportunity” to showcase their titles.
With the season entering a crucial phase, Arsenal’s latest stumble has only added to the pressure and the room for error at the top is rapidly shrinking.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
February 19, 2026